Superwomen of Eva: The Truth Is,
by The Rei-Fan
Summary: NERV: The organization responsible for the death of my father, an organization that has gone unchecked in it's power. No more, I will do what others cannot, I will take this burden. I am Iron Maiden, welcome to my revolution. Any Questions?
1. The I System

With the permission of OrionPax09 i am pleased to present to you Superwomen of Eva: The Truth Is,

Please, Read and Review.

Disclaimer: I own the entire world except for the copyrighted works referenced in this story.

* * *

Mana Kirishima was an average teenage girl living a mostly average life. Her father worked with a high tech government contractor to create state of the art computer systems, but she didn't know that, nor did it really affect her lifestyle.

No, she lived her life in the way most normal girls would, shopping, studying, 'hanging out' and the like.

As far as she knew, her father was simply a technician at the local university. Ironically, it wasn't entirely false. His current project was top secret and he was aided by his own personal assistant, the 'Synthetic Intelligence Data-Node Extrapolation Entity' or S.I.D.N.E.E. but most people just called her Sid. Sid was a new kind of AI, the best that had been created, exceeding the computational power of any one MAGI computer. She also had a remarkable sentient personality that had yet to be replicated.

What nobody at the lab knew was that Doctor Kirishima did not install Sid's core on site, in fact she was stored completely inside of his own lab that he had built in secret under his house. It was here that he did his own research, research for his daughter, not that she knew.

After all Mana Kirishima was a completely ordinary teenage girl.

Except that she wasn't.

But that's getting too far ahead of things.

-

-

-

-

"Come on Haruka, seriously? He's dirty! Just some dumb jock, I don't know _why_ you're wasting your time." The girl said to her friend, who clearly was dating somebody that the girl objected to.

"Go easy on him Reiko, he's really sweet, you just can't see it because well… its just an image, be nice!" And the other girl defended her choice in a boyfriend.

Reiko tapped her foot impatiently and turned to the side, "What do you think Mana?"

Mana Kirishima was extremely uncomfortable in social situations, especially in social situations like this. It wasn't that she was introverted, she was just shy. She _wanted_ to be like her friends, but still, she didn't quite have the courage. Even so, they still liked her.

"W-well I don't know, I mean Haruka has a point. Koji has always been nice to _me_ so maybe he's not that bad?" she forced out quickly. She looked sideways at Haruka and found approval on her face. _'Well, that's good…_.'

Reiko looked at her like she'd lost her mind, "Mana, he's a meathead! argh, even my friends won't back me up!"

Haruka smirked, "That's just because Mana has more sense than you do Reiko." She stuck her tongue out at the other girl.

Reiko put her hand to her face, "eh… I'll get you to see reason soon enough, you can count on that."

Lunch ended a few moments later and the three girls went back to their respective classes.

Although she was shy, Mana still liked to do things with her friends, even if it was a social situation with other people. She'd know the other girls since they were children old enough to walk.

They were probably her only two friends, but as was said previously, she was shy. She was okay with only having two friends, because they were good friends.

It's been said that a friend will help you move and a good friend will help you move a body. In this case, she figured they were the latter, though they had never had the need to actually move a body before.

After sitting in a boring lecture on the effects of the Second Impact on global geography, the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, and Mana's release into the world.

Her friends were in the band, and due to this fact she went home, alone.

It wasn't the first time, it probably wouldn't be the last time, but she had homework to do anyway, so it was probably for the better that she not have friends over. Exams were coming up and she had to score high to get into a good school.

Sure, she could probably make a steam engine out of scrap metal and soda cans (and she had her father's weird need to teach her how to do that kind of thing to thank for that), but that particular skill set wasn't really applicable to school.

So, having finally arrived at home after zoning out to think about exams, and thus stress, she grabbed a glass of milk and started to study at the kitchen table.

She sighed, _'exams suck.'_

-

-

-

-

Doctor Hiro Kirishima was working late. Not at the office, no, he was working late in his own lab; with the sudden attack of the Angels something was needed, something more than Eva. He did not believe that something of such power should go unchecked; there was nothing to stop NERV if they took hostile action against Japan.

That was, until now. His own personal program: Project-I, would change that.

"Sid, show me the manufacturing progress report please." He spoke into thin air, nobody else was around.

"Yes Doctor" a disembodied voice replied, "Report is on display five, the manufacturing process for the I-System is at 98 completion with an estimated time of completion in fifteen minutes."

"Thank you Sid. I'll be going upstairs for a bit, keep things together for me." The man smiled to himself as he ascended the staircase that would lead him up into his home.

His daughter was sitting at the table sipping on a glass of cold milk; she was a little surprised to see her father walk out from a previously solid seeming wall panel. The wall stayed open as he stood there.

The glass froze in her hands and she stared at her father, this was completely unexpected and she wasn't sure what to think of it.

He cocked an eyebrow at the girl, "What?"

I blinked and set her glass back down on the counter, "It's the middle of the night and I just watched my dad walk out of a secret door in the wall."

He shrugged, "Yeah, that's about right, anyway I'd like to show you something." He motioned for her to come over to the doorway.

Still a little apprehensive about the entire situation, though motivated by her curiosity, she took a few steps across the kitchen and to the secret doorway. She had fully planned on walking down those secret stairs, it was weird to see her father come from the wall, but she trusted him, and it would be neat to see what was so secret.

Unfortunately, fate was not on her side. She did go down the stairs, but she did not walk, she _flew_. NERV Special Forces had attacked her home, had blown up a wall to get in. NERV had known what Doctor Kirishima was up to, and they were ordered to neutralize the possible threat to their military supremacy.

She hit the ground hard and looked up to see her father still up stairs, the blast having thrown him into the wall rather than down the stairs.

He turned down the stairs and yelled out, "Sid, lock down the lab; Code-N, activate the S-System! Protect Mana." As he said his daughters name the thick steel blast doors slammed shut and cut her off from seeing anything more upstairs.

She turned around to see… a laboratory. It was not big, not small but not big. It was also extremely well lit, and she could see a cylindrical object in the middle of the room with various consoles and monitors around it.

"Miss Kirishima, you must hurry. The I-System is nearly ready!" Sid called out from the various speakers installed in the room.

"Sid? I thought you were at the university lab." She said, quite thoroughly confused. _'Why is she here? Why was dad acting weird, and what was that explosion?!'_

"Miss Kirishima, there is no time for this; you must get inside of the cylinder for the activation of the I-System!" The computerized voice was insistent.

Mana stepped towards the cylinder in the center of the room that had previously caught her attention. As she approached it, it opened to reveal… "What is that?"

In front of her was a suit of armor, perfectly fitted to her exact measurements. It looked very sleek; it was black with white trim and a white faceplate and it was very streamlined. And it looked like it was ready… for her.

The front of the armor opened up and the helmet lifted upwards, it was ready for her to step inside of. Sid answered her, "The I-System. Your father designed it for you to use to fight the Angels, and to fight NERV if they tried to abuse their power. He did not trust that they would step down once the threat posed by the Angels was over, so he used his government contacts to get the required technology to build this suit: the I-System."

Mana was taken aback, "W-what? But why me?!"

"Because you are the only person he trusts." The AI said simply.

Nodding hesitantly, Mana stepped into the cylinder and backed into the suit. If her father wanted her to use this, she would use this. She would never let him down. The suit sealed around her and began to power up. As part of this process Sid downloaded herself into the system and a small screen projected inside of the helmet held her 'face' which Mana directed her next question at.

"What is the 'I' for in I-System anyway?" It was a legitimate question, she reasoned.

"'I' for Iron Man."


	2. SIDNEE

This chapter serves as a sort of second prologue, a way of tying the beginning into the meat of the story if you will.

It lays down the answers to a few questions you may have had about the previous chapter, and it also throws in a few of my own little inventions.

(insert disclaimer involving the ownership of evangelion and the author's lack thereof, in addition, acknowledge sole ownership of all leeks in or around this story.)

* * *

The armor clad figure blasted through the sealed doorway and out into the main kitchen area of the house; knocking the Special Forces unit backwards against the remains of the wall they had destroyed to enter the house in the first place.

After the armored head of the creation turned to the still form of Dr. Kirishima it turned back to the men who had caused the Doctor's demise.

With a simple motion of the hand a blast issued forth and the men were no more. The recording went to static.

Commander Gendo Ikari pushed a button on his desk and the screen went blank. He was not pleased. Once he had learned of Kirishima's project he knew he had to act swiftly, he could not allow the project to come to completion and jeopardize his own personal plans.

Unfortunately, luck was not with the man, and his plan to destroy the project had failed, miserably.

"So, it looks like you were a little too late to stop the Iron Man project" The older man behind him and to the side said. Fuyutski had agreed that the Iron Man project was dangerous to them, but some part of him was glad of that. He was with Gendo out of loyalty to Yui, not because he believed the man was right in what he was doing.

"So it would seem." was the simple reply from the Commander. He felt like screaming in rage, that something like this could have been allowed to be completed. This kind of failure could not be tolerated, but there was nobody from that team to answer for it. This 'Iron Man' had done a good enough job of that already.

"The committee is not going to be happy." _'That should be obvious though_' thought Fuyutski. "Still, we can't be sure that it will be a credible threat to the superiority of the Evangelions, we may have nothing to worry about at all."

Gendo frowned under his clasped hands, "Were it so simple."

"What would we do, what is the plan?" Clearly they would get nowhere without a plan, but what could they do. Sure, it would most likely be possible to destroy it using raw firepower, but collateral damage would be immense. No, they really did need a better way, something discrete; keep Iron Man out of the public eye for certain.

"We will have to wait for him to make the first move."

-

-

-

-

Mana Kirishima was flying. After the attack on her home, and her subsequent revenge on the attackers, she took flight. Sid had given her brief instructions on how exactly flying the suit worked, and she picked it up fairly quickly, with Sid's help in the control of the suit of course.

Sid had told her to fly low to the ground, it would keep them under the radar, Mana wasn't really in a frame of mind to protest, she was still 'shell shocked' by everything that had happened, the sight of her father… she just snapped and killed the men without a second thought.

Once Sid told her about the flight ability she took off and then finally had a chance to think about things as she flew.

"Sid what _was_ that? Who were those men?" she asked the AI in her suit.

Sid projected her avatar into the helmet; a three inch tall girl who looked to be about sixteen. She had turquoise hair tied into two pigtails that nearly reached her feet and she had eyes of the same color. She was dressed in a sleeveless grey top with a turquoise necktie with a black skirt with turquoise trim. Completing her outfit were black sleeves separated from the top and long black boots from mid thigh trimmed with a turquoise band at the top and bottom.

The avatar shrugged, "I don't really know, it seems like they might have been from Nerv though, they would have the most reason to try and destroy this project. It _was_ created to counter their military power. They have good intelligence networks, it's possible they detected me with their Magi and simply guessed. But what's done is done; we need to find a place to set down and figure out what it is that we can do from here."

Mana pulled a face, "That seems like a good idea…" the girl blinked as a thought struck her, "Hey isn't your data core at the house? What happens if they get to it?"

The avatar smiled reassuringly, "I'm in the suit now, that core is empty except for some sub-processes that I can use to monitor the lab remotely. I'm in no danger."

Mana nodded her head slightly and clumsily turned the suit feet down to land in a clearing outside of the city. The landing went well…kind of. The touchdown was sloppy but gentle enough, unfortunately soon after setting down she lost her balance and face-planted in the soft earth of the small hill.

She grunted from the force of impact and the projection in her helmet flickered for a moment before a sarcastic voice cut through the ringing in her ears, "Nice landing."

"Shut up Sid." Mana replied. _'I'm getting picked on by a computer…'_

Pushing herself back onto her feet she took in her surroundings, the night vision optics of the suit helped, a lot. The immediate area was a heavily forested location, the heat and frequent rain caused by second impact had helped the trees grow faster and larger than they normally would have. As such, the area was covered almost completely in vegetation. Off in the distance she could make out the lights of a city, the city of Tokyo-3, the place where the Evangelions fought Angels, where NERV was located.

Mana sighed, "What should we do Sid? We can't go home, not now…" she trailed off as the memories of earlier in the day came flooding back to her. Her eyes turned bloodshot as the tears fell down her face. Her father was gone, taken from her by NERV for reasons she still didn't understand. All she'd wanted in life was to get good grades in school, have fun with her friends, and make her father proud.

All of that was gone now, and she wasn't sure she'd ever get it back. She dropped to her knees and pulled the helmet off, letting her tears flow onto the wet grass in front of her. She stayed that way, crying into the grass, for an hour. Sid waited for her to calm down, or for something to change.

Finally the tears stopped flowing and Mana's face took on a rare look of determination as she stood, "Sid, we're going to Toyko-3."

Sid projected herself from the chest-plate of the armor and nodded her holographic head, "So we will, what are your plans Miss Kirishima?" the AI asked her.

Mana shoved the helmet back onto her head and the seal hissed as it locked down. She turned her head towards the city and started to walk. "We're going to do what my father wanted; we're going to carry out his plan. NERV killed my father, destroyed my home, and made my life hell. I'm going to deal it back in spades.

Sid's avatar returned to its three inch high version inside of the helmet, "then it looks like we have work to do. Jets are now online."

Mana jumped into the air and the flight jets kicked in, the pair headed for Tokyo-3.

-

-

-

-

-

Five days later Mana Kirishima no longer existed as Dr. Kirishima's daughter. No mention of her remained in any computer system or database on the planet, not even the MAGI.

Sid was responsible for such a cleansing of databases. She'd spent the better part of the last hundred hours tracking down and obliterating every mention of the old Mana Kirishima from the databases of Japan and replacing her with an orphan found abandoned on the streets of Tokyo-2.

Her new files said that at the age of fourteen she was recognized as capable of caring for herself, and in post second impact Japan orphanages could not be wasted on anybody who could live on their own, so she was sent to Toyko-3 for schooling.

Sid had tweaked a few bank accounts, knocking a couple hundred yen off of hundreds of savings accounts in Tokyo-3, not enough to notice right off, and more than enough to live on for a while in the modest studio apartment that had been assigned to Mana.

Finally on the fifth day Sid had enrolled Mana in the local junior high. She was to start schooling on Monday, which was tomorrow. She would be in class 2-A.

So, in her last 'free' day she was tinkering with the armor. She was definitely her father's daughter. She didn't understand everything about it by a long shot, but with Sid's help she was figuring it out rather quickly.

"Sid, will linking this relay into the field projectors overload the power systems?" she asked the AI.

"No, it shouldn't, only a five percent probability of a fault, and that is only if you consider a possible manufacturing defect." She replied matter-of-factly.

The disembodied voice was starting to get creepy, Mana decided. And well, that was the whole point of this little project, fix the disembodied voice problem. Finally, and with a loud unhealthy grinding sound the armor collapsed into itself, folding in upon itself and finally taking the vague shape of a human body.

Said body promptly stood up on its own and as it stood on the coffee table the outer surface started to build upon itself and gain coloring, before too long Sid's avatar, in full size, stood on the table and a brief flashing signaled the end of the process.

The Sid/Armor stepped off of the table and looked around the room, then spoke, "It seems to have worked, that solves two of the problems we had."

What had Mana done? It was actually quite ingenious, the armor had a built in repairing system based on nano-technology, it also had the ability to collapse down when it wasn't being used to be easier to store. Doctor Kirishima had made this a primary design requirement while he was building the suit because he had accurately predicted that there would not always be a support facility to store the suit in, nor would there always be room for it in its expanded state, to say nothing of the possibility that it might need to be hidden.

What Mana had done with those systems was, with Sid's help, reconfigure the two to allow the armor to, instead of folding itself into a easy to store cylinder, reshape itself into the rough size and shape of a teenager, thus allowing Sid to project herself over top of the 'skeleton'. Finally, the protective EM shielding was modified to serve as a 'surface' for the holographic projection, to make her feel 'real' to the touch, it also served to allow tactile feedback, it let her feel the sensation of touch, and her sophisticated sensor equipment (courtesy of the armor) allowed her to detect moisture and heat.

Now, it was not perfect by any means. The limitations of the armor in its storage mode rendered Sid only slightly above human average in strength and speed, she wasn't going to be doing battle with anybody in that form to be sure, but she was the best place to hide the Iron Man armor, plain sight.

Mana grinned as she looked at her handy work, "How does it feel?"

The AI-turned-android spun around, her holographic hair swishing in the air as she did so, "It's… very unique. I've never experienced anything quite like it before." She said.

The casual observer might ask, why does the hair move like real hair? Well, the answer is actually quite simple. The force field projectors are managed by an automated and 'unconscious' subroutine that Sid had created, essentially what it does is measure atmospheric statistics and applies the motion of air currents and the location of her 'hair' and of her clothing as well. The functional result is that all of those items react to touch and wind like the real thing would.

Mana laughed nervously and put her hand behind her head, "Ah well, I got the idea from this one episode of star trek, with the holo-deck, you know?"

Sid stared at her blankly for a moment, like she was lost in thought. A few seconds later she laughed, "Yeah, I do now. It's a good show; I like Data."

Mana sweat dropped, "you just watched the entire series didn't you?"

Sid cocked her head innocently, "Yep, is that a bad thing?"

Mana's eyebrow twitched, "No… just strange."

Sid looked at Mana uncomprehendingly, Mana just sighed.

She dropped her shoulders, "I'll just have to explain 'normal' to you I suppose."

The AI put on a huge smile, "Great!"

Mana slapped her face into her palm.

-

-

-

-

"Today we have a new student." The teacher turned to the girl who was standing in front of the chalk board.

The girl smiled and wrote out her name on the board, then turned around, "My name is Mana Kirishima, I hope we can all be good friends!"

In the back of the class a certain red-head's eyebrow twitched.

A brunette boy dropped his jaw ever so slightly.

A blue haired girl blinked. Twice.

* * *

Me Hungry.

Me Want Feedback.

Give Feedback.


	3. She's a rebel and she's dangerous

First, I'd like to give my most emphatic thanks to OrionPax09 for pre-reading and helping me out with this chapter.

Secondly, Enjoy.

* * *

Mana sat idly at her desk as the teacher droned on and on about Second Impact and its effects on the world economy. So far, her plan to set herself up in Tokyo 3 had been successful, despite the fact that she had been thrown into it with no warning whatsoever. The only thing that bothered her was the fact that she had nee forced to use her own name when doing so. The MAGI ran Tokyo 3, and while Sid was more powerful than any one of them, hacking into all three to create a completely new identity without being noticed was far beyond the AI's capability.

'_That's probably going to come back to haunt me,'_ Mana knew. On the one hand, it meant that she would probably have to deal with NERV sooner, rather than later. On the other, at least she would know they were coming.

So there Mana sat, unhappy but unable to rectify many of her current problems, completely unaware that she was sitting between all three of the Evangelion Pilots. She had chosen this seat at random, having been told to take a seat of her choice. Mana was unaware of the status of the pilots; in fact, she didn't even know that the Evangelion pilots were put into this class.

The reality was that when Sid was registering her in the school that this class was the only one with openings, apparently her birth date excluded her from all other classes, and it didn't seem as though it was worth it to hack the system. Sid had told her as much, and while it was a bit odd, Mana agreed that it wasn't worth messing around with.

The red school issued laptop in front of Mana beeped, so she cracked open the lid and blinked as the bright screen caught her off guard. _'Why would they make it so bright! _She thought as her eyes adjusted. A moment later she felt stupid as she realized the brightness slider was pushed to maximum.

The brightness problem taken care of, she looked at the message on the small LCD screen. It was one line and read as follows:

**Are you a pilot? (y/n)**

Mana blinked. _'What is this about? Pilot of what? They can't know about… no, that's impossible.' _She opened a chat session with the sender and waited for their end to come up. Finally, the link established.

m.kirishima: Pilot of what?

a.nonymous: The Evangelion, are you an Eva pilot?

Mana was more than a little surprised at this. _'Why would I be an Evangelion pilot? I'm just a junior high school student. This kid is a weirdo.'_

m.kirishima: No, I'm not an Eva pilot.

After Mana sent the line she heard a disappointed groan two seats a head and one to the left, a freckled and bespectacled boy with brown hair was slumped in his chair, his laptop screen open in front of him and displaying the text she had sent. Based on what she remembered from the class introduction, his name was Kensuke Aida. She knew nothing about him, but apparently he thought that she might be the pilot of one of those robots of Nerv's.

Mana sighed and returned to her note taking. All things considered, she still took pride in her grades.

When the bell rang, Mana was approached by Kensuke, "Hey, Kirishima, um… you want to… eat lunch with us?" he gestured back to his two friends.

She wanted to make new friends, and the boy seemed nice enough, if I a little weird, so she agreed, "Okay."

"Great!" Kensuke showed her over to their small ring of desks that had been set up for the lunch period. He turned to his friends and gestured to the one with the tracksuit, "This is my friend Touji, and next to him is my other friend Shinji."

Mana bowed to them, "It is nice to m-meet you."

And so, she sat quietly on the edge of the desk, chewing on her _kappa-maki_ and watching the 'stooges' eat their own lunches. The one who was introduced as Shinji had the most elaborate meal, consisting of complex delicious looking foods. Touji's food was gone far too quickly for Mana to even figure out what exactly it was he'd been eating. _'This guy is a vacuum cleaner!'_

Kensuke had a meal not unlike her own: rice balls and _futo-maki._

She turned her attention back to Shinji, "That food looks delicious…what is it?" she asked him.

He smiled sheepishly and said, "Its grilled orange salmon and rice with steamed vegetables." It looked delicious in Mana's opinion, extremely delicious.

"You made that food?" She asked him. If he did make it, it indicated a level of skill she wouldn't have expected from somebody her age. Her own adventures in the kitchen were failures of an epic nature. _She_ could pretty much only make rice… and she usually burned it.

He nodded, "Yeah, I usually make a lunch for Asuka too."

She smiled and nodded, genuinely interested now, "That's incredible! So, where did you learn to cook like that? Was it hard, did it take a lot of practice?" Mana fired off her questions. This boy was interesting, and her curiosity was overriding her typical shyness.

"W-well, I learned a lot from my teacher before I came here, he was a really good cook, so I guess it just rubbed off on me…" He answered with a blush.

Mana was about to ask him more about his talent when the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period. Maybe she'd get a chance to talk to him after school.

-

-

-

-

The rest of the day had passed without major incident. Minor incidents however…

Rei had been paying suspiciously close attention to Mana, and had more than once been caught staring, though this was just passed off as 'Ayanami Eccentricity' so nobody paid it too much attention.

The reality was that Rei was absorbing as much about this new student as possible, so that she could make a report to the commander about this unexpected development. New students simply showing up without warning was definitely worth notifying him.

Unfortunately for her spying, she had to break off from her surveillance of Mana, as she had to go to headquarters with Shinji and Asuka for testing.

Mana was _pleased_. School was over and she'd made friends, it wasn't even that awkward, she found them easy to talk to, like her friends from Toyko-2… She turned her mind away from thinking about them for the time being, and just kept the smile on her face as she walked down the street. Today was a good day.

A cell-phone rang and she blinked in confusion before realizing that it was _her_ phone. _'Strange, nobody has this number yet…'_

She flipped open the cover and put the phone to her ear, "Hel-"

"_So how was your first day? Was it fun? Did you meet people? Tell me about it!"_ the voice on the other end of the line was, in Mana's opinion, freakishly energetic… and familiar.

"Sid? Why are you acting like a twelve year old on speed?" Mana asked. Sid's behavior was… unexpected.

"_Well, I was going through some of your father's old documents and I found the plans for an emotions and personality upgrade patch for my systems... so I installed it! Great huh?"_ she was… so very hyper.

Mana slapped her hand to her forehead and stared at the ground with a twitching eyebrow. "Sid, uh… my day was great, I met some people… could you calm down a little, please?" she pleaded for some sanity; it wasn't too much to ask for, really.

There was a sigh on the other end of the line and Sid seemed noticeably calmer, _"Okay… well anyway, you should pick up some food on the way back, there isn't any here and it is my understanding that meatbags need to eat. There's a s re n orn r…"_ the line dropped out and was replaced with static for a few seconds before the phone blinked that it had no service.

Mana pulled the phone from her ear and stared at the screen, "Huh, that's strange, all the service is out…" she looked around and saw that all of the traffic lights and store front signs had also gone dark. "Is the power out…?"

She hurried her pace towards her apartment, maybe Sid could figure this out, the power shouldn't have actually stayed off like it had; there were backups that should have kicked in.

While running for her apartment she was struck by an inspiration. She, while continuing at a swift jog, started punching codes into her phone, to open up and unlock the network carrier settings. After entering several failed codes she finally got what she was looking for and punched in a string of numbers, then hit send.

The phone got hot from the power being diverted to the broadcasting antenna and the battery wouldn't last long, but the multi-frequency beacon that the phone had just become would surely attract the attention of any active electronic scanning devices, the kind that Sid could use as part of _being_ the I-system.

Whatever the cause, a complete and total lack of power in a city that was supposed to be a fortress against the Angels could never be good. She _needed_ to be as close to Sid as possible, if something were to happen… well, this is what the suit was made for, what her father had wanted her to be able to do: to be a force comparable to the Evangelions.

She stopped against a street post to catch her breath, all of the running had taken a toll on her and she just couldn't go on. "You'd think with all of this running I'd have made it home by now…" she said aloud to nobody in particular.

"…tension, there's an Angel approaching Toyko-3, please deploy Evangelions. This is the J-S-S-D-F, an Angel is approaching this city, please respond to this threat!"

Mana opened her eyes wide in shock and turned slowly to the sky to look at the low flying plane, "Shit."

-

-

-

-

Sid was bored out of her mind, and she had a _lot_ of mind. She'd spent all day at the apartment while Mana was in school. Surfing the internet, watching TV, cleaning, writing programs to write other programs that would write other programs, and so on. She ended up giving up on that and spent the better part of the day working on the patch she'd found in Dr. Kirishima's files, and installed it within her own programming to great effect.

Unfortunately, this just resulted in more boredom than before. So she ended up making…things.

After destroying the refrigerator, the microwave, toaster, coffee machine, TV set, computer, DVD player, cable box, stereo, and alarm clock, she finally had all the parts she would need to 'tinker' with.

The end result of this tinkering was… well, upgrades would be a good word for it.

Soon after finishing the 'upgrades', Sid noted that it was a little after Mana would have left school, so she placed a phone call (the phone being one of the few things she didn't cannibalize.)

Unfortunately, before their conversation could be completed the line had gone down, and seconds later the power in the apartment as well.

"Oh… This kinda sucks."

Sid sighed and stepped out onto the balcony, enjoying the view since there was now literally nothing else to do.

After ten minutes of cataloging and recording every single detail she could see from the balcony she snapped her head around in the general direction of the school, there was a transmission being broadcast, it was crude, powerful, and nonsensical random data.

It was like an electronic yell, nonsense, but loud nonsense.

'_Well, it _is_ rather odd that such a broadcast would be going out during a power failure…'_ she decided to investigate, and so she picked up the contraption she'd made and jumped from the balcony.

-

-

-

-

Asuka Langley-Sohryu was getting impatient. Once the power had gone out they had, after help from Rei, figured out that there was a manual door hatch, and so she made Shinji open it. He was less than pleased but as usual his spine didn't have the structural integrity to support a protest.

"I don't think this is the way to the geofront, Asuka…" he said nervously. He didn't want to set her off, but going uphill was definitely not the way to get to the cages.

Asuka ignored his whining and kicked open the door in front of her… and promptly yanked it shut again right before one of the Angel's legs slammed down in front of it. She quickly recovered from her shock at seeing the Angel up close and put a smug grin on her face, "Well, now that I've visually confirmed the Angel, lets go kill it!"

Shinji dropped his face into his palm at Asuka's arrogance. _'Why are you trying to convince _us_? We already know you made a mistake…'_

Rei's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Had anybody been watching her they would have been shocked to see it, however nobody was. This was Rei after all; you could look at her for five minutes and see everything there was to see and everything there ever would be to see.

Rei decided to take charge of the situation; they could not afford any further delays, especially with this Angel attacking them. "We will need to go this way and break into the ventilation system." She said as she yanked a grid off of the nearby wall.

She had the layout of the facility memorized perfectly, living your entire life in one place had a way of doing that to you. Nobody had ever asked her, so she'd never told anybody, but when she was younger, and before most of the Evangelion testing, she'd explored extensively to pass the time, and now it was paying off.

"You better not screw this up, Wondergirl!" Asuka warned as they crawled through the dusty ductwork, it was as if it had been completely untouched since the facility was first created. Of course, that was probably an accurate picture of the reality.

"I won't." was her simple reply. Rei was like that, simple, direct, to the point. She didn't waste any words or effort on unnecessary speaking. That said; there was never any confusion about what she meant.

They had been crawling through the tunnels for about ten minutes and it was about this time that Shinji made the fatal mistake of looking in front of him. Asuka saw this and decided to reward him with a violent barrage of kicks to the face that resulted in the collapse of the ventilation duct.

Shinji and Asuka landed together in a pile of limbs and a mass of red hair. Said pile was creating quite a disturbance, and it drew the attention of the cage workers, who were preparing the Evangelions to be deployed manually.

Rei dropped down shortly after the commotion and landed perfectly on her feet as if she were an expert gymnast.

"So, there you are. We were waiting. Let's get you ready to launch," said Dr. ritsuko Akagi, the faux blonde doctor who had turned to see the commotion generated by the tangled mass of pilot.

"What? But how?" said Shinji as he disentangled himself from Asuka, who also had straightened herself out and was standing next to Rei.

The doctor smiled, "Your father did it. He had the faith that you would make it, so they made the Evangelions ready for you, by hand."

Shinji looked over at the platform his father was standing on and watched the older Ikari pulling on the ropes that would bring the entry plug into place.

Asuka looked over at her Unit-02 and grinned broadly, "Then what are we waiting for, lets go kick some ass!"

-

-

-

-

-

Mana had been resting her body for ten minutes or so at the street corner when she saw the Angel. It was _huge_ and covered in eyes; a nasty black four legged spider…thing. This was definitely not her best day ever.

She stood up to run away and came face to face with…

"Sid? I guess the beacon worked then." She said as she faced her electronic cybernetic friend.

"Got that right, good trick, so, an Angel; I guess you'll be needing the suit?" the turquoise haired girl asked Mana.

Mana turned back to the Angel, which happened to be advancing towards her position, and then turned back around to answer her friend, "I think that would be a great idea, you mind?"

"Not at all." Sid replied as her projected form flickered into non existence. The skeletal shape of the armor shifted and the 'device' moved from the hand and latched onto what was now the back of the suit. After fifteen seconds the transformation was complete and the suit was ready to be worn.

Mana tore off her school uniform and clad in only her undergarments stepped backwards into the armored suit. After sealing around her it powered up and the HUD came up in front of her face, showing power system status and targeting scan information on the Angel.

"Sid, we need to get airborne, link flight control and bring the jets online." She said to the AI in her suit. The projection of Sid's avatar nodded her head and the suit hummed to life as the flight systems kicked in, Mana lifted off moments later, just in time to avoid being stepped on by the Angel's large black leg.

"Ah, that was close!" Mana yelled out as she jetted away from the creature. She reached onto the suit's back and disconnected the rifle shaped device, bringing it around to the front and holding it in front of her, "Hey Sid, what _is_ this? It looks like it was made out of random junk…" she examined it a little more, "Is that a magnetron?!"

Sid's avatar blushed, "Well, see, I was bored today, so I scrounged up some parts, I got the capacitors from the TV, the cooling system from the refrigerator. I got the magnetron from the microwave of course. It's an optical maser; I thought it might be good to have a long range weapon."

Mana mentally face-palmed, "That stuff isn't cheap you know…" she caught sight of a pair of rectangular slots on the side of the weapon, "What are the slots for."

"It makes toast."

"_Why_ does it make toast?" she asked, completely thrown by the AI's eccentricities as displayed thus far.

"Well, I already had the toaster taken apart, so I figured, why not?" The Avatar shrugged.

Choosing not to respond, and to continue the conversation at a later time, I time when they were not in danger of being destroyed by an Angel… _'The Angel seems to have no means of ranged attack, that's a little… oh there it is, crap.'_

Mana dodged the acid shot that had spewed forth from the Angel's eyes and lined up the maser-rifle and pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened, that is to say, the rifle did not fire. On her HUD she saw a flashing warning notice, 'Capacitor not charged, ready to fire in fifteen seconds.'

Mana was distracted by the message long enough that she didn't see the next shot coming until it was too late, and it slammed directly into her… defensive field.

"Thanks for keeping an eye out Sid!" Mana thanked her AI for most probably saving her life, and then flew low around the Angel and across the way the beast had come into the city, to try to lead it out into the open, which would reduce possible civilian casualties.

She looked at the message on her HUD, the lights were green and the weapon was ready to fire. Before she pulled the trigger, Mana hesitated, "Hey, Sid does this thing work?"

The avatar grinned sheepishly, "Well, probably. It'll either fire or explode; fifty-fifty chance."

Mana grimaced. "Well, guess we'll find out." She pulled the trigger. The magnetron activated and the cooling compressor kicked on, then a split second after the initial trigger pull a turquoise beam shot forth and slammed into and orange barrier, the Angel's AT field.

The rifle stopped firing and Mana shot off in another direction, the Angel following this pest that was trying in vain to hurt it.

"Turquoise?! Seriously? Boost the output; we can't punch through that thing with what we've got right now!" She yelled over the sound of the jets screaming as they were pushed to the limits, the Angel was chasing her and it was a lot faster than it looked.

The AI shrugged, "I like the color." She paused for a moment as her processes altered the configuration of the charging mechanism, "Output boosted to maximum safe levels. System will be charged in five minutes."

Cursing her bad luck and flying through the buildings so as to avoid being hit directly by a blast of acid she nearly missed the sight of three Evangelion units climbing out of a hole in the ground.

As the Evas got up onto their feet Mana noted that her weapon would be charged in two minutes.

Down on the surface the three Evangelions had prepared their pallet rifles and were spreading out to find a clear line of fire onto the Angel.

Mana listened in on the radio chatter between the Evangelions as they positioned themselves, they hadn't seemed to have noticed her yet.

"_Come on, Wondergirl, keep up, we gotta kill this thing before our batteries run out!" _ came a girl's voice, it sounded familiar.

"_Roger."_ Another girl's voice, but calm, quiet.

"_I see it!"_ the voice of a boy, one she knew she'd heard before.

The red unit rushed forwards, rifle in hand, and came out from behind the tall buildings of Toyko-3, she had a direct line of fire on the Angel. She pulled the trigger and the bullets lanced forth and tore through the beast like tissue paper. Soon afterwards it crumpled to the ground, dead.

It was then that the head of the blue Evangelion rotated skywards and Mana knew she'd been seen. The charge on her rifle read ten seconds to firing.

"_Control. Pilot Ayanami reports that an apparently mechanical flying humanoid is hovering over the city, it appears to be armed."_

Mana blinked. _'Ayanami!?'_

A deep male voice came back through, _"This contact is to be classified as hostile, terminate at once."_

"_Roger."_

Mana's eyes shot wide as the large rifle pointed upwards at her and fired. She pushed the jets to full and shot to the side away from the bullets. "Sid! Scan for a weak point or a power source!"

After a few tense seconds the HUD displayed the shoulder pylons as containing the power supply for the hostile Evangelion unit, she locked on as another burst issued forth from the pallet rifle. "Power source identified, target is locked. You can fire when ready!"

Mana's finger twitched and pulled the trigger back, the weapon spooled up quickly and the beam that shot forth was several orders of magnitude larger than the previous shot.

The blue Evangelion raised a hand and projected it's AT field defensively in front of it, but it only held for a moment before collapsing under the strain of the shot impacting it. The turquoise beam continued on through the shoulder pylon and the unit went dark as its power source was destroyed.

The alarms inside the suit went off as more projectiles flew through the air towards her; apparently the remaining two units had caught on. Mana looked down at the two units and said to Sid, "Time to run!"

Mana returned the weapon to the clamps on the suits back and shot away from the city at high speed, turning back only once; to wonder about what the hell had just happened.

"The pilots… couldn't possibly be…" Mana said, mostly to her self.

Sid shook her head. "It seems that they are, I'm sorry."

* * *

Read, Review, send me all your base.

Cheers, TRF


	4. Critical Failure

Thank's a bunch to OrionPax09 for pre-reading and offering advice on this chapter.

This chapter is going to be interesting, or at least i hope it will. Read on and see!

As always, feed me reviews.

Disclaimer: i own the entire world except for Ironman and Evangelion.

* * *

The alarms going off in her suit and the sparks flying from the arc reactor in the chest plate were rather discomforting to Ma

The alarms going off in her suit and the sparks flying from the arc reactor in the chest plate were rather discomforting to Mana Kirishima. She'd been shot at by an Evangelion, she had been shot at by an Angel, and she had shot both in kind. Unfortunately, the other Evangelions had taken note, and tried to shoot her down. Exercising her better judgment, she ran away.

It was this that brought her to her current predicament; it was late into the night in Toyko-3 when she came flying back in. She'd been in the air for hours, almost lost in thought over her encounter with the dreaded bio-mechs, and it was as she was flying over the hill tops on the outskirts of town that the alarms had gone off.

"Sid, what's wrong with the suit? I can't control it!" Mana asked her AI in a panicked voice. Flying at speeds approaching the speed of sound and then losing control was an experience that most sane people would desire to avoid; Mana was one of those sane people.

Her avatar's head cocked to the side and Sid answered in a worried tone. "It seems the maser caused a slight instability in the reactor. This appears to have caused cascade failure of the flight control and energy management systems. I should probably have shielded the firing mechanism better; too much radiation bleed-through."

The suit shuddered and the stabilizer in the left hand shut down. The only control Mana had was the ability to angle the thrusters by moving her limbs, and with the loss of a stabilizer this was slipping farther and farther away. Quickly thinking, she repositioned her remaining stabilizer to keep herself flying in a reasonably straight line, "Sid, can you do anything? I _don't_ want to die today."

The Avatar scratched her digital head in thought, "I can restart the reactor, which should clear out the instabilities, but it's going to take a while, and the backups can't power the flight control thrusters."

Mana groaned, she knew that somehow, some way, this was going to be very painful. She sighed as the remaining stabilizer started to behave erratically. "Okay, Sid shut it down then, and please try not to kill us…"

The system promptly shut down, and the suit started to arc across the sky towards the earth like an arrow fired into the air. Right before the sensors went down Mana could have sworn she saw a red/blue AT Field pattern on the scanning array, but the sensors died before she could see any more.

Sid's avatar flickered as the backups kicked in, and the sensors came back, but the signature was gone. She read off the status to Mana. "Reactor is down, restart in fifteen seconds, twenty seconds to impact with terrain. Deploying speed brakes, new estimated time of impact is twenty five seconds."

Mana was, however, not paying attention to the AI's readouts, the visual she was getting through her visor was occupying her mind completely. "Uh, Sid? How long until we hit that building!?" Mana asked, gulping at the sight of the huge office building filling her field of vision! The suit was still traveling at high speed when the engines died, and the speed brakes were not made to stop the suit on their own. Making them large enough to do that would have made them too bulky, so they were to work in conjunction with the engines.

Unfortunately, there was no engine power and Sid knew that this could not end well once she had been informed of their impending impact from Mana. "We have, uh… estimated ten seconds to impact, nine seconds until reactor restart. This… is probably going to hurt."

'_Gee, do you think?'_ Mana thought. Thinking was about all she could do until the reactor restarted. Thinking about her new friend Shinji being the pilot of one of those monsters of NERV's, how one of her classmates tried to shoot her down, and how she herself shot back. What she was going to do when she made it back to school, what could she do? What could she say about it? What could she-

"Reactor is back up, flight controls online!" was the announcement from Sid, the one that brought Mana's attention back to reality.

With a twitch of her arms Mana directed all of the available thrust to angle herself away from the building. It would have worked if the reactor had full output. It would have worked if the reactor even had half of its output, but it didn't. The reactor was only slightly above the power level needed to bring the jets online, and that wasn't even enough to lift off, so Mana's attempt at redirecting her flight was only slightly effective. Effective in that she wouldn't hit the building dead on, but she was still going to hit it.

Immediately before impact and her impending injuries, she felt the double tap of a heavy substance impacting her armor, which deflected her just enough that she only caught the edge of the building and spiraled off, dazed but not hurt too badly. Spinning out of control she pushed all of the steadily increasing reactor output to the jets to try and stabilize her fall. It was starting to work, but she was already caught in the firm, persistent grasp of gravity, and the power she had built up wasn't enough to break free of it.

It was then, with her engines at their highest output with the reactor still running at minimal levels, that she hit the ground with enough force to destroy the pavement of the roadway. The impact mercifully knocked Mana unconscious, so she didn't have to experience the terror involved in bouncing down a roadway at speeds that would make even Misato cringe.

With Mana unconscious, Sid pushed the engines as hard as she could, even dumping the reserve power into them, desperately clawing skyward after being redirected into the air when they bounced on impact. It nearly worked too, but the impact had damaged the servos in the suits limbs, and so Sid did not have enough control over the vectoring of the thrust, and so the suit spiraled in a lazy arc back down to earth and skipped along the surface of the roadway until the engines failed from damage to the suit's energy distribution systems.

Sid's avatar finally winked out of existence as the backup power failed. The reactor itself was still functional, but the systems for powering the onboard computers had been damaged and disconnected, so there was no way to get power from the reactor to Sid.

With the limited control Sid had been exercising over the suit gone both suit and the girl encased within tumbled down the road like a rag doll before coming to rest against a light pole, and there it sat, sparks shooting from the joints and thruster packs.

-

-

-

-

Touji Suzuhara was on a late night jog down the road near his apartment. He couldn't sleep and a good jog would always clear his mind and let him relax. Contrary to the rumors, he did have things going on in his head; he wasn't just some dumb jock.

The truth was, he couldn't keep his mind off the new girl from school, and how weird it was that she'd just show up like that. Something was weird about her, like she was hiding something. It was just a feeling he had at the back of his mind. It wasn't like she was obvious about it, but Touji could be fairly perceptive at times.

As Touji rounded the corner to head back home he saw a figure skip off of a high rise office building and then spin sloppily before hitting the ground, after which it skipped back into the air and looked like it was going to take flight again, before it then again slammed into the ground. Finally, it slammed into a light pole not ten meters in front of him and folded the pole slightly.

After his momentary shock, Touji took off at a run towards the figure even before the dust settled. It had looked like a person and there was no doubt that whoever it was would have been hurt pretty badly from such a crash. As he arrived he was starting to doubt that the suit's occupant was even alive.

The armor was dented all over, and a lot of the paint had been scraped off from the crash. The helmet had been split along the seam and was held on only by gravity by the time he got there.

"Hey, man, are you okay!?" he dropped to his knee and lifted the helmet off of the figure, to see how hurt he was, or if he was even alive. He got the shock of his life with auburn hair flowed out of the helmet, and it discovered that not was he a _she,_ but it was also his new classmate!

"Kirishima!? Are you okay, can you hear me!?" Touji asked the girl, who failed to answer him. Seeing no other option and knowing that he couldn't leave her there, he picked up a metal pole that had disconnected from the main assembly and used it as a lever to pry the girl out of the crease she had made in the light post.

"Urghh!" Touji grunted in exertion as the metal finally gave and allowed the suit to pop free of its temporary prison of steel. He gently eased her onto the pavement and checked her for signs of life. Mana was still breathing and she had a pulse. _'That's good, she's alive at leas. Oh man what am I gonna do…? I could take her to the hospital, but I'm not sure that's a good idea. She probably wouldn't want anybody to know about this. Mom was a paramedic; I wish she was here to help… hey! We still have her kit! Maybe I can do something for her at home!'_

Having decided on his course of action, he hefted the girl off the ground. The armor was heavy, but not so much that he couldn't lift her. _'Must be some kind of composite, Kensuke would probably know about that… heh.' _After much grunting, he finally got the girl onto his back, somehow managing to brace her helmet beneath his arm and windbreaker. He then started carrying the armor clad girl to his apartment. As he did so, Touji was silently thankful that his dad wouldn't be home for a few days, what with the way things were going at NERV. He'd have the apartment to himself and would have time to figure out what to do with Mana.

Carrying Mana the three blocks back to his apartment complex, Touji ducked into alleys along the way whenever he saw a car or bus coming down the roadway. After finally reaching the building and having awkwardly negotiated the staircase, he swiped his key through the reader on the door and slipped inside.

Taking a moment to check and make sure he was in fact alone, Touji carried Mana through the apartment and put her down on his bed. _'She's a girl, so she deserves the bed,'_ Touji thought as he looked at her face. _'Well, that and the fact that she'd just smashed into the ground like she was a Mack truck!'_

Touji took one last look at Mana and left the room to search the apartment, "Now where's that kit…?"

-

-

-

-

"The unidentified interloper successfully disabled the internal power supply of Unit-00, causing a shutdown when the microwave beam shorted out the electrical system and destroyed the shoulder pack on the left arm." Misato dropped a slide onto the commander's desk showing the fragmented remains of the unit's shoulder pack.

"After the destruction of the Angel, and after the initial attack on Unit-00, Units 01 and 02 engaged the target, but failed to stop it. The target fled and was gone from visual. Due to the lack of available power during this event we were unable to utilize the anti-Angel intercept system to attack the target."

Misato tried her best to keep her breathing even and unhurried. The commander made her nervous, but she had been ordered to give a report to the commander after hearing the reports given to _her_ by the pilots.

"Very well. You are dismissed." was Gendo's simple response to her report.

Taking advantage of this, Misato turned around and exited the man's office; the less time she had to spend near him, the better, as far as she was concerned.

"An unexpected development, eh, Ikari?" asked sub commander Fuyutsuki as he stood to the commander's right.

"It's of little consequence; the scenario will only require slight 'adjustments.'" Gendo smirked under his clasped hands, "Tell Doctor Akagi that she has a new project to work on."

-

-

-

-

-

With a twitch of her eyelids Mana Kirishima awoke from her impact induced slumber. She cracked open her eyes and quickly realized that it was a mistake; that light _hurt_.

"Ugh…" Mana groaned. She examined her surroundings and didn't recognize them at all. Mainly, last time she'd been in her room it was not full of sports posters, so she was a little put off. She also didn't remember her bed being this large and…soft.

Mana then noticed that she was in her underwear. Combined, those things slowly worked through her brain. _'Unfamiliar place, half naked, horrible headache.' _She thought maybe Sid was playing a prank on her; the AI had been a little weird as of late.

Then she started to remember what had happened; the fight with the Angel, being attacked by the Evangelion, crashing, then darkness. She noticed that she was covered in quite a few bandages, most of them stained somewhat with her own blood. The throbbing ache of her entire body was also a good indicator that Mana was not in a good way.

Groggily, Mana pulled herself off of the mattress and stumbled through the door and into the hall. She heard… sounds. _'A TV? Sid took ours apart…so, yeah, this is definitely _not _our apartment!_'

"…_can reach any star, I've got faith, faith of the heart."_ It was some kind of theme song, Mana had heard it before, but couldn't remember where.

Then, she saw the watcher of said television. _'Suzuhara!?'_ Mana though incredulously. Barely keeping her calm, she decided to play it as coolly as she could. "I didn't think you were one for American Sci-Fi..."

Realizing he'd been caught, Touji jumped up and fumbled with the remote for a few seconds before quickly killing the power to the TV. "Y-you're awake! That's good, I saw you, and I had to take care of you, ya know, so I brought you back here and bandaged you up, and then… I was just waiting for you to wake up ya know?" he babbled out.

Mana blinked quickly, _'That was…he seems really uncomfortable-' _and then, far too late, she realized that she was in her underwear, in front of a boy, in that boy's apartment. The seconds ticked by, the clock on the wall moving slower than seemed possible as time dilated to the point where the seconds seemed like years…

And then the screaming began.

"Ahhhh!" Mana nearly jumped out of her skin, and probably would have had she not been so injured. As it was, she half-jumped, half-limped backwards through the open doorway into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

Panting heavily, Mana tried to gather herself. She heard the boy outside of the door and decided that information would be really useful, even if she was incredibly embarrassed. "So… how long have I been here?"

Touji sat on the floor and leaned against the door. "Six days. I uh… wrote a note that said you'd been hurt in the Angel attack, so they didn't ask too many questions about where you were at school. Um… you were pretty hurt, so I'm glad you're okay… I didn't think you'd want to go to the hospital, that armor you've got… I don't think that you want people to know about it do you?"

Mana twitched. _'Oh god, he knows about the armor! But… he kept it a secret for me? Maybe I can trust him… but he's friends with Shinji, Rei, and Asuka! The Eva pilots, they tried to kill me!'_

"So are you going to tell anybody about me? I… I really don't want anybody to find out; it wouldn't be safe for me anymore." And she thought of something else. "Say, what happened to my armor?"

Touji twitched nervously and blushed as he spoke, "Well… you were kinda stuck inside of it, and there was this gooey white stuff that looked like some kind of crazy spider's web jamming up the seams…so I had to pry it open with a crowbar to get you out…"

Mana's eyes shot as wide open as dinner plates and she yanked the door open, dumping Touji on his back facing up at her from the floor. She screamed at him, "You did _what_?!"

* * *

Author's note: Oh snap!

Omake:

Mana then noticed that she was in her underwear. Combined, those things slowly worked through her brain. _'Unfamiliar place, half naked, horrible headache.' _She thought maybe Sid was playing a prank on her; the AI had been a little weird as of late.

Then she started to remember what had happened; the fight with the Angel, being attacked by the Evangelion, crashing, then darkness. She noticed that she was covered in quite a few bandages, most of them stained somewhat with her own blood. The throbbing ache of her entire body was also a good indicator that Mana was not in a good way.

Groggily, Mana pulled herself off of the mattress and stumbled through the door and into the hall. She heard… sounds. _'A TV? Sid took ours apart…so, yeah, this is definitely _not _our apartment!_'

".._gotta catch em all!"_ It was some kind of theme song..

Then, she saw the watcher of said television. _'Suzuhara!?'_ Mana though incredulously. Barely keeping her calm, she decided to play it as coolly as she could. "I didn't think you were one for uh..." she stopped short as she saw what the boy was wearing, it was... disturbing. like some kind of yellow...rodent...thing with a lightening bolt shaped tail. _'some really strange cosplay...'_

Realizing he'd been caught, Touji jumped up and fumbled with the remote for a few seconds before quickly killing the power to the TV. "Y-you're awake! That's good, I saw you, and I had to take care of you, ya know, so I brought you back here and bandaged you up, and then… I was just waiting for you to wake up ya know?" he babbled out.

Mana blinked and then promptly turned around and left the room. _'i don't even want to know what i just saw...'_


	5. You Are Not Alone

Egads, another chapter, and so late!? TT

aaaanywho, read, review, enjoy.

also, thanks orionpax09 for the pre reading :D

* * *

Mana groaned in dismay at the sight in front of her; to say that her armor, her father's masterwork, had been abused would be to put it kindly. The helmet was cracked in half, the chest plate was split along one side where the crowbar had been forced in, and the leg units were cracked and shattered along their entire length. The only thing that saved her from a nervous breakdown was that part of the chest plate _had_ come through without being destroyed; the Arc reactor was intact and putting out power.

Trying her best to remain calm, Mana took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then turned around to face Touji. "Listen, I'm going to need a few things to get the armor operational again. Let's see, uh… A screw driver, pliers, tweezers, a soldering iron, a hacksaw, electrical tape, wire strippers…"

Turning about to look at the remains of the suit again, Mana bent down to pick up one of the components lying on the floor. It was Sid's AI core, and as near as Mana could tell, it looked to be completely intact.

"Uh, what? I don't have those things…" Touji said hesitantly.

"Hey, _you're_ the one that went all Gordon Freeman on _my_ armor, so… _get_ me those things!" Mana countered without bothering to turn around.

Touji looked dumbly at her back for a moment before pulling out his cell-phone and sending a text message containing all of the things that Mana had just asked him for. Sighing at the mess he had innocently gotten himself into, Touji could only hope that his his bespectacled best friend would be able to help him and Mana out of it.

Sighing as the girl dug through the parts, Touji shook his head in confusion; tech really wasn't his thing and he was pretty lost. Like any teenager he kept up with the latest trends in videogames, and he knew his way around a computer enough to fix most of his own problems, but this armor technology was way over his head. _'I just hope that this stuff isn't over _Kensuke's _head!_' Touji silently pleaded.

Jumping at an unexpected noise, Touji realized that it was watch, then he looked and saw what time it was. "Ah! Um… sorry Kirishima, you can stay here if you want, but I've got to go see Mari at the hospital. Visiting hours are kind of short, so I don't have a lot of time."

Mana turned around, her eyes wide with surprise. "Hey wait, what about your parents coming home!?"

Touji paused. "It's just me and my dad and he's been staying at NERV, his work has been kinda hectic I guess." After his brief explanation he slipped into his shoes and left the apartment, wondering why exactly he'd told her she could stay. Sure, she was cute, but his heart was with somebody else, though he wouldn't admit that to anybody.

'_There must be some other reason,_' Touji decided, though he didn't know what that was.

-

-

-

-

Kensuke Aida had been bored lately, extremely bored. The internet still wasn't quite right, even after the power had been restored, and even a week later he still wasn't satisfied. So when Touji sent him the text message asking for equipment, he decided that getting out of the apartment would be a good thing.

Besides, he'd made that videotape of the armor clad figure flying through the air fighting the Angel, at least he got a few good minutes in while the battery was still working. Might as well show it off to Touji.

So upon arriving at the Suzuhara place, as per usual protocol, Kensuke knocked once, found the door unlocked, and let himself in. _'Touji's probably just watching TV or something, he _did_ tell me to come over though, so this is probably okay…'_

Under normal circumstances it would have been okay; true, it was not really 'polite' in the strictest sense but Touji didn't mind. Kensuke was his best friend after all. However, this did not qualify as 'normal circumstances', and so his unannounced entry was… shocking to say the least.

Shocking in that while he was greeted by the familiar form of Touji's usual tracksuit, it was not filled with the familiar form of Touji himself. The biggest clue to this was the much smaller frame, and the female shape of said frame.

The sound of Kensuke's laptop bag and toolkit hitting the floor alerted the girl to the presence of another person. _'Hmm, Suzuhara shouldn't be back yet…'_ Mana turned around to face the person who had just entered the apartment. "Hey, Suzuhara, how was the hospita…" Mana trailed off as she saw that she was not talking to Touji Suzuhara, and instead was faced by… "Aida!?"

Mana's shock was mirrored on Kensuke's face. "Kirishima?! What are you doing in Touji's apartment!?" He was going to ask why she was wearing his clothes, but his brain refused to accept the possibility that…

Mana twitched and put a hand at the back of her head, laughing nervously. "Well, ah, it's really complicated and uh… see there was this light post, it fell on me, and Touji was taking care of me here until I got better so…" Mana trailed off when she saw the disbelieving look on Kensuke's face.

"That doesn't make any sense at all!" Kensuke retorted. "I'm not stupid, Kirishima!"

Mana shrugged, for ironically, the story wasn't too far from the truth. Still, she felt he wasn't ready for the whole story, so she decided to try and stonewall him. "That's classified."

Kensuke smirked as the wheels turned inside of his head. "So, I guess the tools are related to this 'classified' information. That's a shame, really, because…I guess if you can't tell me what's going on, I'll have to just take my things and go…"

Mana paled. _'Think of something girl, you're smart you can…'_ She looked at the device still in her hand, Sid's AI core. _'Well… it's partially true.'_ And she did need Sid anyway;

one of the limitations of the repair systems of her armor was that it needed an AI to operate the nanotech systems. With Sid offline and disconnected from the armor,there was nothing to control them. With renewed determination, Mana then held up the core in her hand and showed it to Kensuke. "It's an AI core… I need to fix it… so that's what I needed the tools for…" She eyed his laptop bag and smiled cutely. "Can I borrow that?"

Using her 'feminine wiles' was nothing something Mana had lots of experience with, or felt she was particularly good at. She found herself hoping that Kensuke would be an easy mark, and was grateful when he averted his eyes and blushed at the tone and cute expression on the girl's face. "Um…well, sure! I suppose…"

Mana took a few short steps down the hallway and grabbed the laptop bag, taking it quickly to the table in the dining area, leaving a confused Kensuke in her wake.

Kensuke, to his credit, quickly regained his senses and followed her. He rounded the corner to find the girl already digging into the back of his laptop, wires being shoved from the 'AI core' into the broadband data port on the computer. Kensuke turned white, and bellowed, "Hey what are you doing!?"

Mana didn't turn around to look at him when she spoke. "Interfacing the core unit to the laptop. If this works right, it will take power from it, and then Sid can link up and use the machine as an interface and power unit."

Kensuke was intrigued. "So, it's a third generation AI then, adaptive protocols for systems integration?" That made sense, a core as small as that could only support a third generation or older AI gestalt, something bigger would be required for anything more advanced. Besides, a third generation AI is about as complex as he would expect a middle school student to be able to get her hands on.

Mana smirked, though he couldn't see it. "No, sixth generation sentient AI, invasive systems control protocols. Give Sid a hard-line and she'll dominate any electronic device more complex than a pocket calculator."

Kensuke was shocked; his mouth practically fell to the floor with this revelation. "So how do you manage the gestalt on such a small core module?! The complexities should be too much to handle!"

Stabbing a few more wires into the data port on the back of the computer Mana shrugged, "My father designed the core system; it uses high density holographic storage and a molecular processor. Low heat, small size, high power."

Then, to Kensuke's sheer and utter horror Mana began to administer percussive therapy to his prized laptop, but all was not lost for soon afterwards the familiar 'dong' sound came from the speakers and the machine booted to desktop. He sighed in relief; the apparently crazy girl hadn't damaged it. _'Damn my weakness to the demands of the fairer sex…'_ thought the boy.

Then, without warning, all digital hell broke loose. An unearthly glow issued forth from the 'AI core' and the laptop computer itself started to screech and flash random colors across the display. Then, as quickly as it started, it ended. The screen went momentarily dark before becoming completely filled by the face of a teenage girl.

A faintly electronic voice came from the speakers and the lips on the screen moved in sync. "Core integrity confirmed, systems monitoring sensors offline, scanners offline. Basic functionality confirmed, loading AI programming." There was a twitch and a hesitation and then Sid spoke, "Huh, a laptop. Kinda slow isn't it Mana? Don't get me wrong; it's great to be able to see and hear again, not to mention being back online. But seriously, don't I deserve better as your loyal companion?"

Mana laughed nervously, knowing full well how devious Sid could be when annoyed. Part of her youth had been spent learning that AI's were not only smarter than you, but were capable of screwing up your video games or ruining the twenty page homework assignment you slaved on when they decided to be nasty. "It was the best I could manage on short notice, really!" she protested, which was the honest truth.

The AI sighed. "Well, if it means we survived the crash, I guess I can deal with this for a little while. What happened to the armor anyway? Why am I not installed in it?" Mana blanched at this, for Sid obviously hadn't realized that, not only were they not in her apartment, but also that Kensuke was present. She wasn't sure if it was because Sid's systems weren't interfacing properly with the laptop or she was just being lazy, but that didn't change that fact that the otaku-boy was currently hanging on her every word.

Kensuke picked up on this immediately, and with a smirk pulled the digital video tape from his pocket and slid it into his camera. "Oh, Miss Kirishima, could you look at something with me for a minute?" he said with a sound of victory in his voice. _'I've got her, this is so freakin cool!'_ he thought.

Mana slowly turned away from the computer to face him, sweat-dropping as she did, and it seemed that Sid had also finally taken notice of the otaku. Hesitantly, she murmured, "Yes…?"

Grinning like the Cheshire cat, the boy pushed the play button on the device and turned the screen around to point at the two girls in front of him. "Maybe you could tell me what you know about this?" he grinned as the video played.

The video itself was enough to make Mana panic, for it was a video of her shooting Unit-00 with the maser-rifle. Then, it showed her running away over the hills. The next few minutes of the video were uneventful and so during this time Mana tried to talk her way out of it. "Oh, that's horrible! I mean, who would attack an Evangelion? Aren't they supposed to protect us?"

Kensuke was having none of it. "It's just weird, you know? This person shows up, attacks an Evangelion, then runs away. Then they come back and…well, look."

The video shifted from the day-time to a night-time shot of the armor flying erratically towards a high-rise building. Then the speed brakes deployed, and just before impact, the engines kicked back in, and a few shots of a white substance came shooting from what looked like a figure wearing a white lab coat and impacted the armor-clad figure, deflecting it slightly off its course and redirecting it to skip off the side of the building. Finally the figure fell from view behind several office buildings.

Closing the camera, Kensuke slid the slim device back into the pocket of his jacket, and then he spoke. "So, it's just strange I think, that this person would shoot at Ayanami, and then have the gall to come back to our city after trying to kill the people protecting the whole planet from annihilation!" As Kensuke thought about the situation, he got angrier with each passing moment. Sure, Ayanami kept to herself and generally wouldn't talk to anybody but Shinji, but Shinji seemed to like her, and since Shinji was Kensuke's friend, the latter had a respect for Ayanami. That respect was the driving force behind his anger.

Mana's face contorted into an expression of rage. "How _dare _you!!" she shrieked as she lunged at the otaku with blood in her eyes. Bringing Kensuke down with savage tackle, she grabbed him by the callar of his shirt and began screaming. "What the hell would _you_ know!? She tried to _kill_ me! That's all NERV _does_; they just kill anybody who gets in their way! They killed my _father_ because he made that armor and to make sure that nobody could ever stand against them and they tried to kill _me_ to finish the job!" As some of her rage faded, Mana was left straddling Kensuke, heaving breath after tormented breath. "I _have_ to fight them… how can I trust somebody to save the world when they killed the only person who was ever really there for me?"

Slowly staggering off of Kensuke, Mana slumped against the wall, her rage gone. Taking its place was the depression at remembering the events that had taken place at her home near Tokyo-2 only a month before. That pain had been with her all this time, barely held at bay by force of will and the pleasure at finding new friends. The recent disaster had torn those frail emotional walls down, leaving only pain and confusion.

Kensuke sat up slowly and looked at Mana. "I'm sorry… I didn't know… but, that is you then, isn't it?"

When Mana nodded her head tearfully, Kensuke pulled the camera from his pocket, ejected the tape, and then crushed it. When she looked at him confusedly, he smiled half-heartedly. "Your secret's safe with me."

-

-

-

-

-

"I'm not saying that I actually _like _wonder girl, but that was just inexcusable! If that freak shows up again, I'm going to blow him apart! Where do they get off thinking they can go up against an Evangelion anyway?" Asuka ranted and fumed.

Shinji sighed woefully. Lunch period was supposed to be a time of peace at school, not dealing with Asuka's ego. This was the sort of crap he had been putting up with all week, listening to Asuka bitch almost every hour on the hour. Whenever something reminded her of the fight, she'd go completely off the handle. Shinji swallowed a bite of his lunch. "I don't know Asuka…I mean, they didn't fire until Rei fired first…"

Asuka took immediate offense, although Shinji figured it was just because _he_ had said something. "What are you, _stupid?!_ That thing was _obviously_ some kind of enemy! Why _else_ would they have told us to shoot it down, _dummkopf?!_ Besides, I thought you had a thing for wonder girl! Why aren't you backing _her_ up?"

Shinji's shoulders sagged. _'It's hopeless; she'll never get it…' _"It's not that, it's just…oh never mind." _'Yeah, no point in trying at all.'_ It simply wasn't worth the verbal abuse to try and convince Asuka of something. Once she decided she was right, that was it, and not even an Eva could convince her otherwise.

Rei, overhearing their little lunchtime conversation, allowed herself to think on what had happened, and couldn't deny that it _was_ strange that this armor-clad figure had been attacking the Angel, especially considering what the commander had told them…

-

_Rei stood in the commander's office shortly after the battle with the 9__th__ Angel. She had been ordered there by Commander Ikari, who now sat at his desk, the tips of his fingers pressed together._

_"Rei, it is important that you know; this armor-wearer is our enemy. You did as well as you could have under the conditions… however no further failure will be tolerated now that you know the abilities of this… person. In any future engagement, should this interloper show up, you will kill or capture them, do you understand?" Gendo ordered, clearly irritated. Rei knew why this was so; the scenario of the commander's was delicate, and any deviation from it was intolerable._

_"Yes, sir," was Rei's terse reply._

_-_

'_If the armor-wearer and its creator truly was NERV's enemy, than surely they would have been _helping_ the Angel, as that is the only logical course of action…' _

Rei was confused; this was the first time in her life she'd been confronted with information that seemed contradictory to something the commander had told her, something to give her doubt as to the commander's honesty. She didn't like the feeling in the least. Still, he was the commander and if he gave her an order, she'd follow it. That was her purpose after all, though if she were given a _choice_ it wouldn't be to attack this strange man of iron again.

Then there was the Kirishima girl. She was normal in the general sense, but there was something about her that made Rei's hair stand on end, there was something not quite… _right_ about the girl. She'd shown up in class without any warning, then disappeared after the most recent angle battle. _'Kirishima is back today… Aida-kun and Suzuhara-kun seem to be paying her more attention than other females…'_ It was atypical, Rei had decided, for the two to pay specific attention to one girl, especially considering that the boys seemed to be hormone-driven, and there were girls better endowed than Kirishima.

Mana was not entirely pleased to be back in class. True, it was better than being out cold in Suzuhara's apartment, but she was forced to be with _them_.

"Come on; just give them a chance okay? Even the Red Devil isn't _too_ bad once you get to know her…" Kensuke pleaded with Mana. She was his friend or… something close to it anyway. The secret he shared with her and Touji about her alter-ego made them _something,_ so, why not friends? At any rate, he didn't want her to hate _his_ friend Shinji, or Rei and Asuka, for that matter.

"I don't know about the devil, but Shinji's a good guy," Touji agreed. "And Ayanami has never really caused any trouble, and Shinji seems to like her…"

Mana's eyebrow twitched. "They tried to _kill_ me," she hissed, quiet enough that nobody else other than the two boys could hear her.

"It's not like they knew who you were. Shinji isn't like that; he'd never have shot at you, and Rei was probably just following orders" Kensuke countered. _'Man… I gotta get through to her eventually.'_

"That's what they said at Nuremberg," was Mana's simple retort.

Touji sighed while Kensuke face-palmed. The latter shook his head, "Mana, it was not a war crime; there's no way she could have known that was you, or what happened to your father, anyway!"

Grudgingly, Mana finally agreed that Kensuke had a point. "Yeah, I guess."

Kensuke pointed at Asuka and Shinji, "Now; go talk to them."

Reluctantly, she trudged over to the pair. _'Maybe it won't be that bad. They were pretty nice to me before,'_ Mana thought weakly.

-

-

-

-

"…and then I made the mistake of telling her that I hadn't known she was an Eva pilot and had only just found out. That resulted in an _hour long_ lecture on how I should have known and that it was an affront to her 'superior status as a pilot' that I hadn't!" Mana explained. It was after school, and she was back at her apartment, giving her ears a break from all the abuse the Red Devil had subjected them, all telling Sid about her first day back at school.

The AI cringed visibly on her small laptop screen. "Ouch, so what happened after that?"

Mana sighed. "Fortunately, the bell rang and I was able to escape." Mana couldn't help but recall how relieved she had been when the bell rang; the mental image of her melting Asuka into oblivion with the maser had become very alluring by that point. It was strange how, just a short few weeks before, she was almost cripplingly shy, but now it wasn't nearly as difficult for her. _'I wonder if it's because of the suit,_' Mana wondered. 'B_eing able to shoot down an Evangelion sure can do wonders for a girl's confidence!'_

As Mana dumped the last jug of 10w30 into a plastic tub in the closet, she finally turned around to face Sid, a look of confusion on the girl's face. "What was all this oil for again, anyway? You really shouldn't be keeping me in the dark…"

Sid had told Mana to 'pick some things up' after school, which ended up being a large plastic tub and several gallons of motor oil. Dumping all of the remaining parts of the suit and several 'obsolete' (which was how Sid referred to any machine older than a month) computers Kensuke had been able to spare her into that tub, she had filled it with the oil.

Sid smirked and a moment later her face was replaced with blueprints and wiring schematics. "It's a construction medium" her voice said from the speakers of the laptop, "for the nano-machines to build with. I took the liberty of using some of your father's design documents and incorporating some of the idea's we'd talked about implementing. I call it the Trident-System."

Mana's mouth hung open as she looked at some of the specs. "Whoa." As she took in some of the things Sid had in mind, she slowly smiled. "Okay, I'm officially impressed." Then, as she looked about the apartment, she frowned somewhat. "Um…I don't suppose you have any ideas about suping up the apartment, do you? Some new appliances would be nice, and…I'd like to have some things ready, just in case NERV decides to pay us a visit."

Sid laughed deviously at this. "Don't you worry about that, Mana! I've got some ideas on how to give any Section 2 creeps who decide to stop by a very _warm _welcome!"

Nodding, Mana found her mouth twisting into a vengeful smirk. "Good," was all she said in response. While she was willing to give the pilots a chance to prove themselves, she had no mercy in her heart for people like her father's killers.

No mercy at all…

* * *

Victory is miiiiine!


	6. Saddle up, Lock and Load

disclaimer

Aaaanywho, Thanks Orionpax09 for prereading and letting me write this in the first place!

* * *

After some time had passed, the oil that had been used to reconstruct the armor was stripped down into translucent mineral water, revealing that the armor reconstruction had been completed. In awe at what she saw, Mana gasped in delight, and carefully drained the oil from the tub. Her smile grew deeper when the Trident suit was finally exposed directly to air.

Examining the armor that now stood before her, Mana went over the various differences. The suit was now a moderate shade of maroon with dull gold trim, the faceplate shared the same coloration as the trim. The suit retained its humanoid shape, of course, but that was the only thing it had in common with the previous suit.

Where the original I-System was androgynous and could be worn by anybody of similar stature to Mana, this new suit was form fitted and more assuredly female. From the curves of the hips, to the well-endowed chest plate, to the slimmer helmet and faceplate, everything about the suit screamed girl.

The original suit controlled its flight using motors in the boots and hand mounted stabilizers. Though this worked well enough for flight, it didn't lend itself well to combat using held weapons. Taking its place was a pair of 'Gundam-inspired' wing-like extensions mounted on the back of the suit with several dozen micro-jets for stable flight. Two high powered ion-jets served as the main propulsion, while a thirty second liquid-fueled rocket backup would prevent a repeat of the disaster that had destroyed the first suit. The wings themselves were still quite compact, spanning only five feet from tip to tip. Not only would they drastically enhance the flight capabilities of the armor, but with the hundreds of articulation points they possessed, they could also be folded completely against the back of the suit so as to not hinder close-quarters ground-based operations.

'_Damn, Sid really needs to stop watching so much anime',_ was Mana's first impression, though this was secondary to the massive improvements Sid had made. Whistling in awe, Mana ran her hands across the final product of the combined efforts of her and Sid's research and planning. "So, Sid, how do I control the flight systems? This isn't going to work with voice commands and hand movements like the old system."

Sid smirked her 'I know something you don't know' smirk from the laptop she was still linked to and explained. "Neural linking. There's a series of microfilaments that will interface with your central nervous system while you're in the suit. Basically, the suit makes the wings into an extension of your body; you just think what you want to do. As an added bonus the heads up display is projected directly into your visual cortex, so you'll still get readouts even if the helmet is damaged."

Mana paled slightly at the mention of her nervous system being 'interfaced' with. She hesitantly spoke, "Uh… Sid, isn't that really dangerous? I don't want nerve damage and this is just…"

"It's not dangerous, not really. The filaments are a synthetic organic type of nerve tissue, too much force and they just snap, so there's no risk of damage to your body. It's completely safe." Sid assured.

Mana visibly relaxed. _'At least it won't paralyze me, and I guess I can't ask for more than that,_' she thought. '_Well, you could, but why get greedy?'_

Before she could ask Sid anything else, the laptop that was Sid's current residence cracked and popped. A huge arc of electricity then bridged between the AI module and the suit.

After what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only a few moments, the suit shuddered violently and began to open up at the seams. A thin, wispy smoke streamed out as the various sections disconnected from each other and then fell away from… the body.

'_What the hell is that!?'_ was Mana's first, last, and only thought as she saw supple human skin between the widening cracks between the armor plates, and the patches that were visible where the plates had already fallen away. Too shocked to move from the spot at which she stood, Mana waited as the figure staggered somewhat and then assisted its own, no, _her own_ undressing, finally standing naked in front of the armor.

In front of Mana stood a much younger looking Sid than her avatar had been, and this one looked…fleshy, organic, _human_, with a figure so close to Mana's that they could have been sisters, one that had fit perfectly in the armor designed exclusively for Mana.

The main difference between the two girls was the hair. _'Why does it always have to be turquoise?!' _Mana thought incredulously as she looked at the organic Sid's hair as it fell free of the restraining helmet. Perhaps it was a bug in the base-code, perhaps Sid did it just to drive Mana _completely nuts,_ but the AI-turned-girl couldn't get enough of turquoise. _'How the hell did she do up her hair as turquoise, anyway. For that matter…what's Sid _doing_ in a real body, anyway?!"_

Before Mana could ask the now all-important question of how exactly Sid had become, as she so eloquently put it, a meat-bag, meat-Sid gave a weak smile, just before falling over and hitting the deck, hard. With her eyes rolled back in her head and her tongue hanging out of her mouth in a semi-comical manner, it was quite obvious to Mana that the girl was down for the count.

Despite the fact that such a thing should be impossible, proof to the contrary was lying on the floor before her. In the form of a squishy-meaty-Sid.

Finally managing to gather herself enough to actually _act,_ Mana dropped down next to the prone form of her apparent 'sister', and rolled her over to check her pulse and respiration. With her finger against the girl's neck and her ear over her mouth, Mana deduced that Sid was in fact still alive among the land of the fleshy meat-bags. Confident that Sid wasn't about to expire like bad fruit, Mana stood up and started to search the apartment. _'Where is that damn first aid kit Touji left me?'_

_-_

_-_

_-_

_-_

Gendo Ikari was pleased, looking much like he had a royal flush and everybody had gone all in. His pet project was doing nicely; soon this little 'Iron Man' problem would be taken care of once and for all, leaving his own plans unblemished.

His scenario was going along just as scheduled. Improving his mood even more was the video tape that had been set anonymously on his desk earlier in the day, a tape that showed the armored figure that had recently appeared, the apparent legacy of Dr. Kirishima, crashing into a building and slamming into pavement. Clearly this person was not invincible, and when the time came he'd exploit that.

Many men would probably have assumed that whoever was in the suit would have died in the crash and left it at that. Kozo Fuyutsuki was one such man. "Surely you don't think he _survived_ that fall, he must have been doing point five mach when he clipped the edge of that tower," the older man spoke.

Gendo was not naive to think that this menace would be out of his hair so easily, "Considering his demonstrations at the Kirishima residence, and the damage he did to Unit-00, I would hesitate to believe him dead. Assumption has a habit of leaving you vulnerable, Sensei. And I will not allow that."

Kozo was not to be dissuaded so easily. "While that may be true, Ikari, should we be funneling so much funding into this project? The repairs to Unit-00 were expensive and it would be catastrophic if one of the other Evas were to be damaged in battle. We'd have no way of repairing them."

"If the Evas were to be damaged, then the council will have no choice but to increase our budget. They _need_ NERV, so we'll have all the funding we'll need to keep the Eva's going." Gendo retorted.

With a soft sigh, Kozo Fuyutsuki gave up his argument. He had learned the hard way that Gendo was all but impossible to dissuade from his chosen course.

-

-

-

-

Sid woke up slowly; smelling salts had _nothing_ against her new fleshy body's ability to remain unconscious. When she finally _did_ start to open her eyes, the first thing she noticed was that she had successfully transferred into the human body she'd had constructed for herself. The second thing she noticed was that the implant in her new brain was working perfectly, keeping her linked into all of her previous data connections. The former AI smiled broadly at her success. Broadband with an organic processor; Sid was in heaven.

Sid's good mood dissipated quickly when she saw Mana standing above her, staring daggers down at her. _'This can't end well,'_ she smiled weakly. "Hey Mana, so, um… how do you like the new suit?"

Mana's face remained unchanged in its expression. "Its wonderful," she deadpanned. "How's the new human body?" She shifted expression slightly to one of slight confusion, "So, you violated god knows _how_ many laws banning cloning."

Sid sat up and slid back a little to get out from under Mana. "Well, actually it's not cloning so much as growing a _unique_ body, since I didn't actually _copy_ anything per se."

"Then what did you do?" the other girl asked.

"I used a DNA sample from _you_ and altered it accordingly to fit my own desired characteristics, then grew the body, using the armor as an incubator. Quite ingenious, really, it allowed me to grow the brain around an implant enabling me to continue all of my roles as an AI." Sid said with a sense of satisfaction in her voice.

Mana sweat-dropped. "So, you're me… only…not." She shook her head and began to pick up the armor sections that had come off when Sid extracted herself from her 'incubator' and laid them out on the kitchen table. She turned back to Sid, who was still sitting on the floor and spoke. "You might want to take a shower and get dressed. You're a little naked; you may want to take care of that before you prove to the world that turquoise _can_ be a natural hair color."

As if suddenly realizing that she had a sense of modesty, Sid launched herself to her feet and bolted for the bathroom, presumably to shower and dress as Mana had suggested.

As Sid left, Mana began to strip down to her underwear in preparation for putting on the new Trident suit. Having seen it come apart as Sid took it off, and having a general idea of how it fit together based on the labeled connection points, Mana began to don her armor. First the chest plate, followed by the codpiece and the section of armor that connected the two, the rear of the armor was attached next, followed by the thigh sections, and finally the knee and shin sections. After she put on the boots and locked them into the shin sections she began to attach first the left arm segments, and then the right. Finally she slid the helmet onto her head and locked it into place.

As Sid had told her would happen, the instant the armor was activated, neural link tendrils penetrated Mana's spinal column and connected her senses to the suit. As the system powered up, she could almost _feel_ the suit, as if it was a second skin, and she had the sensation of wings attached to her and she simply _knew_ how they worked. As Mana shook her head at her strange-yet-wonderful new reality, she took note of the heads up display, which was displaying ammunition readouts and a charging bar for the maser-rifle, which was currently at zero.

'_Let's see…5.7mm stores, designed to hold up to 2000 rounds of ammo. .223 stores with 550 rounds capacity, and the .50 caliber weapons have a 450 round capacity,'_ Mana mused thoughtfully as she reviewed the data before her. _'Okay, Sid obviously designed this suit from the ground up to kick major ass. But…what's with all the anti-personnel weaponry? I'm not…hey, where _are_ the weapons, anyway?! I don't see anything on the suit!'_

_Frowning, Mana_ returned to the vat and found several weapons modules fully assembled as well as an upgraded maser-rifle. _'It _still_ has that toaster built into it' _Mana noted with some amusement as she began donning the weapons. The weapons modules snapped into place on the forearms of the suit, and were slung in such a way that when they deployed, the barrel would move out and under the operator's hand.

The final component of her new arsenal was the .50 caliber rifle and the ammunition backpack. The rifle collapsed to only a foot long and clamped securely into a recessed slot in the right thigh of the armor, the maser rifle occupied its twin on the left thigh.

The ammunition backpack was slim and apparently used some form of highly advanced mechanics to remain small while still holding copious amounts of ammo, the functional result of this was a six-by-six-by-two inch plate attached to the armor under the wings' main attachment points.

After she had equipped the suit with its entire complement of heavy weaponry, Mana opened up the link to the AI-turned-teenager's implant. "Hey Sid, I'm going out for a little bit in the suit… how do I activate the flight systems?"

Sid's old avatar popped up in the HUD, a mental projection since Sid was currently _very_ occupied with _thoroughly _'washing' her body. Tilting her head slightly as if remembering, she finally answered, _"Just _do_ it, like you're trying to move an arm, except this time you're flying…and it'll activate, same for the weapons systems, though you'll still need to fire those manually, a safety feature against thought noise."_

With a nod that Mana wasn't entirely sure that Sid could perceive, she _thought_ the wings to life and _jumped_ from the apartment's balcony and into the afternoon sun.

This flight was going to be little more than a joyride she'd decided; even so it was best to be on the alert, so she turned on the active sensors just by thinking _'sensors on.' _And the sensors were on._ 'Heh, I'm really beginning to enjoy this neural control system.'_

As she cleared the outer buildings of the city she rolled into a flight path above the highway that ringed the fortress city and leveled out. With a natural control as if she was born with engines, she pushed the engines to full power and rocketed through the sound barrier.

The suit was fast, of that there was no doubt. Mach three at an altitude of one hundred fifty feet was completely unheard of, especially for some so small and manned. '_Or _wo_manned, as it were!'_ Mana thought deviously.

The flight itself was both thrilling and liberating for Mana; she'd never gone this fast and she'd never felt so _free_ before. She felt like a bird on the wind; the suit was almost like an extension of herself. She could do whatever she pleased with the abilities it had afforded her.

Truly enjoying herself, Mana was brought of her thoughts by another added bonus of the suit; the ability to pick up distant sounds even at the high speeds she was moving. One of those sounds was gunfire, and it was ahead of her and to the right. _'This can't be good,'_ Mana realized, and decided to investigate. Mana altered her flight-path back into the city, rolling and twisting around the buildings before finally, after ten minutes of almost random searching, she found the source of the sound.

Below her was a technical, as well as a rather expensive looking personnel carrier. No less than fifteen men were behind and around it, wielding rocket propelled grenades and rather nasty-looking assault weapons. They were barricading a school and appeared to be holding the children hostage.

Dropping in a little closer, she picked up on what appeared to be the leader speaking into a megaphone to the police forces that had surrounded the building. _"We demand you deliver to us the pilots of the Evangelions so that we may cast punishment upon them for their hindrance of god's will! The slayers of his messengers will shed their blood as penance! The lives of these school children are nothing compared to ending the blasphemy that is Evangelion!"_

Mana snorted at the absurdity of the situation. _'They just don't get it, I'm willing to bet that even if NERV were willing to deliver the pilots, said pilots would be in their Evangelions and ready to kill those men. Still, seeing as they'd probably stomp the school into oblivion in the process...' _She considered the situation for a moment before deciding that now was as good a time as any to put her new armor through its paces.

Mana reached down to her right thigh and detached the .50 caliber rifle and expanded it into its full firing configuration. Then she attached it to the feeder built into the glove of the suit, so that the bullets would be reloaded automatically after each shot.

Her first shot caught the men off guard. Flying in low she fired a shot through the engine block of first the technical, and then another pair of shots through the engine of the APC, and then finally a fourth shot through the machine gun mounted on the technical that turned it to scrap. It didn't do the gunner any favors, either.

Mana was grateful to see the terrorist would live. She still wasn't happy about the blood she already had on her hands, and she didn't want to kill if she could avoid it. Deciding that the best course of action was to disarm anybody inside the building before the hostages could be hurt, she fired the main engines at hard burn and then tucked the wings into their storage position; her momentum carried her through the brick and aluminum wall of the school building.

Shaking the disorienting daze from her head, Mana examined her surroundings. She'd landed in a classroom full of elementary school children. Though none of the terrorists were in sight, she felt it safe to assume that they were guarding the room from the outside.

As the children and the teacher looked at her, Mana stuck her index finger against the front of her helmet in the universal 'be very quiet' gesture before moving stealthily over to the teacher. "Where are they?" she whispered to the man.

The man kept his calm, even at the sight of this seemingly robotic girl. "They are in the hallways. They forced us into the classrooms and locked us in from the outside. Every few minutes one of them walks past the doorways, I don't know how many are in here but I saw five of them before they sealed us in."

Before Mana could thank the man for the information, the door burst inward. _'I am an idiot...'_ she thought. _'I'm telling the children to be quiet after I _burst through a wall_, like that was going to make a difference.'_

The assault rifle in the man's hands bucked as a burst of 7.62mm bullets streamed out and slammed against the armored girl before him. _'What _is_ this thing? A girl? Never mind that, I've got to kill her before she gets me!'_ were the man's panicked thoughts.

Mana's heads up display flashed out warnings that the armor couldn't sustain this level of bombardment indefinitely. The nanomachines' ability to repair the suit would eventually be compromised, and microscopic stress fractures had already begun to form. Having decided on a course of action, she returned the .50cal rifle to its storage clamp as she rushed her attacker.

It was over in moments, at the end of which the terrorist's AK-47 was bent in half and the man was unconscious and laying against the wall opposite the doorway. Continuing her charge, she entered the hall and examined her surroundings. There were men running at her from both directions, three from the left, four from the right.

Mana deployed the 5.7mm guns from their forearm weapons packs and as they extended a triggering mechanism snapped upwards from each gun into her hands. She was suddenly extremely glad to have such an advanced targeting system as Sid had installed. With a fair bit of effort she locked her targets on the weapons the men were holding and fired first at the men on the left, and then at the men on the right.

After her first round of shots, the magazines of the men on the left of her were damaged and the bullets contained emptied out of the hole where they had been blown in half, effectively disabling the guns. The men on the right lost their own armament just as easily, and Mana followed up the attack with a burst from the palms of her hands similar to those of the previous incarnation of the armor. Upon impact, all the men were knocked backwards and subsequently lost consciousness as they hit the walls at the far ends of the hallway.

The men on this level having been taken care of, Mana descended the staircase and made short work of the men on the ground floor before proceeding out into the courtyard where the fanatics had barricaded the walls surrounding the school with sandbags. Quickly counting the eighteen men, Mana realized that they couldn't be taken out the same way as she had the men in the school. Not without killing them, and taking an RPG or two in the process.

"I don't want to kill anybody, it's not really my right to decide their fate…but how can I stop them?" she asked to herself. She wasn't judge or jury, and she certainly was _not_ executioner… at least for anything not related to NERV…

Sid replied through the link she had to the suit. _"You might not want to kill them, but they don't know that, so how about a show of force?"_

Mana nodded her agreement to that idea, then deactivated the arm mounted guns, before removing the maser-rifle from her left thigh and began charging it. Then, she unfolded the wings on her back and took to the sky, being sure to make as much noise as possible to draw their attention.

The men immediately began to open fire on her, and the RPG's were fired, though her suit's agility made dodging them easy. As her HUD read that the maser was ready to fire, she fired two shots, one at each of their vehicles. The two transports were reduced to burning slag within moments, after which she proceeded to charge the rifle for a full powered shot. Just before she pointed it at them.

Fortunately for Mana, the terrorists paid very close attention to the girl flying above them and promptly stopped firing. They knew what the ominous hum from her weapon meant.

"Alright, listen up. Drop your weapons and surrender to the authorities or you're all going to end up the same way as those trucks, you got me?!" Mana called down from her position in the sky. She hoped that the rather large now-glowing gun pointed down at the men would make their choice for them.

After a few moments hesitation, the men dropped their guns and proceeded to open the school's front gates and march out single file. They were quickly arrested by the police forces.

Mana, satisfied that she'd done what was needed, landed near an assembled S.W.A.T. Team and explained the situation inside the school. "There are ten or twelve men inside the building in the hallways, they are unconscious and disarmed but you might want to get in quick before they wake up. All the students and teachers are okay as far as I can tell; good luck!" And before the squad commander could so much as thank the girl, she took back to the sky and shot off fast enough to create a sonic boom.

'_Okay, the warm-up is done,'_ Mana thought with a sadistic pleasure. _'NERV…you're next."_

-

-

-

-

The newspapers, television, radio, and even the internet were alive with praise for, and speculation about, this 'Iron Maiden', as the news organizations had dubbed her.

With every moment that passed, Fuyutsuki watched Gendo become more outraged. Though the Commander didn't show it readily, Fuyutsuki knew him well enough to recognize the growing fury he was seeing in him. One he had never seen the like of before. The younger man was actually _yelling_, "That damn girl! She's got the media on her side now! We can't touch her without negative press, and this makes the Evangelions completely useless to stop her!"

The sub commander nodded. "That's true. If NERV is cast in a negative light, we may find our funding decrease significantly due to political pressure, damn bureaucrats. At least we won't have to wait very much longer for Project Valkyrie to be completed."

Gendo seemed slightly calmed by this. "Yes, I suppose that soon enough everything will be back on schedule and that interloper will be a mere memory." Gendo would not be denied; this 'Iron Maiden' would die.

He was sure of it.

* * *

Project Valkyrie? Oh teh noes!!


	7. Sky On Fire

ah, the long awaited seventh chapter, released on the eighth day...

thanks to orionpax09 for the editing help.

I don't own anything, etc

(be sure to read the footnotes)

* * *

High above Japan, in a stationary orbit above Tokyo-3, an Angel lay waiting. Waiting for its chance to take up the cause its brethren died for. Sahaquiel knew that it wouldn't survive its mission, but knew that it would pave the way for its next sibling to finish the job.

Its mission was simple; after firing several ranging shots, it would drop its main body upon Tokyo-3 and destroy it, leaving nothing to defend against an Angel merging with Adam and ending the world with a Third Impact.

It would be close enough to Earth to begin its operation very soon, and there was no hope for them to detect its approach before it was too late.

Or, at least, that was the Angel's plan…

-

-

-

-

The day after the sabotaged hostage situation, Mana had gone to school. _'Mondays, ick' _was her thought as she went to class. Still, school was a part of normal life for her, what little was left of her old life.

Class Representative Hikari Horaki stood in front of the class to perform the normal morning routine, "Stand, bow, sit!" The class, of course, complied.

After Hikari found her own seat the teacher made an announcement to the class, one that caused a great deal of discussion and speculation. "Class, today we have a new student," he spoke before turning to the open doorway. "You can come in now, Miss Kirishima."

It was that line, that one name, which set off the class in a flurry of hushed conversation. The dull roar of speculation and conjecture filled the classroom.

"_Another Kirishima? We've already got Mana, is it a sister? A cousin?"_

"_A new student at a time like this?"_

Of all of the students in the class, only two people were even remotely 'on the money' with their suspicions. Kensuke Aida and Touji Suzuhara knew better, they knew Mana didn't have a sister, and in fact that she lived quite alone.

In the back of his mind Kensuke had a strange feeling about who was going to enter the room, a sentiment shared by Touji. Both boys realized that feeling was justified as a turquoise mass of hair (with a girl under it) entered the room. There was only one person in the entire world that could both be associated with Mana and have two turquoise pigtails nearly as long as the girl was tall.

When the girl turned to face the class after writing her name on the board the nagging suspicion was confirmed. The boys turned to face each other with matching shocked looks. _'Sid!?' _they mouthed simultaneously to each other.

Standing at the front of the room, her name written on the board, was Mana's meat-bag roommate.

"Hi, I'm Sidney Kirishima, but you can call me Sid! I'm Mana's sister!" the words came from the almost disturbingly cheerful girl at the front of the room.

Mana stared at her 'sister' at the front of the room. She'd been against the girl coming to the school from the start, but Sid would not be dissuaded. The chaos that ensued from Sid's declaration gave her time to reflect.

-

_Sid was _typing_ at the laptop in front of her. Mana was fairly curious as to what it was about, so she went over to the girl and saw the registration documents for her school._

"_Hey Sid, what are you doing with those school registration papers?" Mana inquired, hoping that it wasn't what she thought it was. She was doomed to be disappointed._

_Sid turned around and smiled up at Mana. "Registering for school."_

_Mana paled as every worst-case scenario that could result from an AI-Girl showing up at her school could cause. "What?! Why!? You already know almost _everything_! Why do you need schooling?!"_

"_Because I'd be bored and lonely at the apartment all day and I wanna meet people," was Sid's answer to Mana's questions._

_Mana suffered the temptation to start tearing out her hair. "Argh!"_

-

With a twitch Mana snapped out of her reverie, and saw Kensuke was poking her in the ribs with a pencil. "What?" she whispered harshly at him as she gave him a dirty look.

"What the hell is Sid doing here as a _human_?" he asked, his eyes wide with confusion.

"She said it was an upgrade! I don't really know what possessed her to do it!" Mana whispered back.

Kensuke turned back to Sid, who was sitting near Shinji, and eyed her, then turned back to Mana. "You know, she _is_ pretty cute…"

Mana's jaw dropped slightly and her face took on an angry expression. "Kensuke Aida don't you dare even _think_ about it!" she hissed.

Kensuke considered his options, and then realized he didn't really have any. The expression on Mana's face, combined with the news report about the terrorists getting their asses kicked, convinced him readily to drop the subject and to not make any advances on Sid. "Okay… okay," he replied sheepishly.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the two closer Stooges, Sid was talking animatedly to Shinji Ikari and Asuka Sohryu.

It was obvious that Asuka was enjoying the attention immensely, and even Shinji seemed to be genuinely happy to be having a conversation with the opposite sex.

'_It's almost like he likes her…'_ Mana's thoughts trailed off. On the one hand, she felt almost _jealous_ of the other girl. On the other, Mana felt like her best friend was fraternizing with the _enemy._

'_Then again, maybe Touji and Kensuke were right about the pilots,' _Mana considered.Shinji was quiet, but nice. Asuka was loud, obnoxious, arrogant, and confrontational, yet… _'I feel… she seems fake.'_

After thinking matters through, Mana decided that there was nothing wrong. Sid was cautious; her seemingly carefree attitude simply hid the perceptive intellect under it, so as to make people believe she was no threat.

Of course, they would be wrong.

Mana considered that if Sid was conversing with the pilots that there were two possibilities; the first being that she was getting a feel for the enemy so that it would be easier to combat them. The second thing being they were no threat and Sid was genuinely trying to be friendly.

'_Then again, getting shot at would prejudice anyone!'_ Mana ultimately decided, hoping it was the second reason.

-

-

-

-

High above the earth a bomb was falling towards the ocean, the first of several that would come. This bomb was unique in that it was surrounded by an AT field that would amplify its explosive power tenfold.

As the first bomb slammed into the ocean a second was dropped on a slightly altered trajectory. This would give the Angel crucial information as to the required angle of descent for its drop on Tokyo 3.

The Angel would have been pleased, were it capable of such emotion. It would all be over soon, very soon.

-

-

-

-

The class felt a slight tremor, which was quickly dismissed as a minor earthquake. At this, Sid's eyebrow twitched as she turned to Mana and gave her an "I need to talk to you" look.

Mana nodded slightly and turned to look away from her and to Kensuke. Deciding that turnabout was fair play, she gave him a poke in the ribs with a pencil.

"Kensuke, cover for me! I've got to go, special business…" Mana hissed in hushed tones to her bespectacled friend.

Nodding his head, and cringing at the thought of what he was about to do, Kensuke began to type furiously on his laptop for several seconds. Suddenly, the class projector clicked on and the sounds of j-rock began spewing forth from the speakers while a video of CGI Evangelions rocking out was played on the wall.

The ensuing commotion allowed Mana and Sid to slip out almost unnoticed. A pair of red eyes watched the two girls leave, and the blue haired owner of those eyes quickly followed the two out, being sure to keep far enough away to avoid detection.

Sid was adept when it came to ditching a tail, but Rei was better. The albino followed the other girls out to the courtyard and hid in the bushes, where she listened to their conversation.

"What's this all about, Sid?" Mana asked her turquoise eyed companion.

Sid shifted her eyes to the side, checking for any eavesdroppers, and having failed to detect any she turned back to Mana. "That tremor wasn't an earthquake. The suit's sensor array picked up an AT field moving at nearly orbital velocity impacting the ocean. I ran an additional scan and found a second signature headed for the coast."

Rei stared at the pair, were she capable of such an expression, her jaw would have dropped in shock. Still, a tiny crease in her eyebrow signaled her confusion. _'How can they know of AT fields?' _she thought.

Mana took a moment to take in the information she'd been given, "How long do we have?" she asked. _'If there's enough time, then maybe…'_

Sid shrugged helplessly. "The last shot seemed to be propelled; it didn't slow down before impact, and drag didn't seem to be affecting it. If this fits the same profile it'll be about…" she paused, running the numbers in her head, "seventeen minutes."

After a moment's consideration, Mana ran for the apartment with Sid in tow. Rei stood to follow them, to gather any information that would be useful to the commander. She made it three feet before she felt a sting in her neck. Her world spun about for a few second before she hit the ground, unconscious.

A figure in dressed as a groundskeeper stood over top of her as removed the dart from the unconscious girl's neck. A smirk was on his face. "This just got too interesting Miss Ayanami; we can't have you blowing her cover so early in the game." As quickly as the man had appeared, he was gone, leaving Rei lying prone on the ground.

-

-

-

-

-

Mana was frantic in her dash around her apartment to gather up the sections of the new under suit for use with the Trident system. Similar in appearance to a plug suit and worn in the same way, it was a vacuum sealed one piece garment designed to record vital signs and administer medication or other first aid treatment as needed.

"Sid! How much time do we have!?" Mana yelled across the apartment as she stripped off her clothes in preparation for donning the under suit.

Sid was in the bedroom mounting the suit segments on the newly created assembly mechanism. Resembling a mechanical spider with too many legs hovering over a circular platform, the device was built to shorten the time needed to don and equip the armor. She snapped one of the leg braces into place and leaned her head out the doorway. "Eleven minutes! Hurry up, the suit is ready!"

Heralded by the sounds of struggling with synthetic cloth, Mana stumbled into the room and managed to vacuum seal the under suit by the time she reached the 'closet' containing the suit itself.

Jumping up onto the platform, Mana initiated the assembly sequence and turned slightly towards where Sid was standing. "I need you with me on this one Sid. It's too far away for you to monitor remotely; the lag time would be too much. Upload to the suit once it's been activated."

Sid nodded and stepped away from the platform, letting the machines continue encasing Mana in her armor. She smiled slightly. "You've got nine minutes forty seconds, I'm beginning upload of a child process now…"

Mana's eyes shot across the rapidly scrolling status readouts as the system powered up. As the power levels reached the activation threshold the neural linkup was engaged and the arc reactor increased output. The suit was ready for deployment.

Inside the helmet Mana smirked at the 3D projection of Sid. "Let's roll."

-

-

-

-

"There's a high speed object approaching the projected impact zone of the Angel's attack!" came the frantic cry of Maya Ibuki, who had been monitoring the sensors in preparation for the impact.

Ritsuko's eyes shot wide open from her place on the upper level. "AT field signature?" _'If this is that girl…'_

"The Magi cannot agree on a pattern, but they estimate only a five percent chance of it being Angelic in nature! They can't get any more specific; the energy levels are just too high!" was the reply from Aoba, who was operating the station responsible for detecting Angel blood patterns.

'_So, it's not her then, but…who?'_ Ritsuko's eyes popped a little wider. "Is it that Iron Maiden?"

"It's possible; the Magi are unanimous in their agreement that the signatures are similar enough to be considered as a match," was Maya's reply.

Misato leaned in close to Ritsuko's ear and whispered, "Was that techie for 'the Magi said, 'sure why not?'"

Ritsuko sighed. "Yeah pretty much-"

"Deploy the Valkyrie to intercept the interloper."

The combined heads of the bridge staff turned to look at the source of the voice, Gendo Ikari.

-

-

-

-

-

As Mana approached mach three in her mad dash to make it to the impact site before the Angel, she was struck by a high velocity projectile. Crying out in surprise, Mana's went one way, then the next as she was sent into an unstable tumble.

The automated stabilization systems immediately deployed the speed brakes in a bid to slow the now uncontrolled flight. "Sid, what the hell just hit us!?" Mana screamed as she fought for control. She was firing rapid bursts from the control jets to counter the spin when the second shot hit, its impact incidentally helping to slow the rotation.

The avatar of Sid flickered slightly and answered Mana's initial question. "My guess is a rather large chunk of tungsten moving at high velocity, though I may be wrong. We're being shot at, source at bearing two-six-zero mark two-one."

"Deploy the five point seven millimeter mini-guns!" Mana yelled to Sid as she finally stabilized her flight and turned to face her attacker. The guns themselves deployed from their forearm mounts just as the attacker came into view.

Mana paused for a few moments as she absorbed what she was seeing. It was almost an exact copy of the original I-System, though the paint was a dull white and it was equipped with far more weapons than Mana had remembered the suit carrying.

"What am I looking at Sid? This looks a little familiar to me!" Mana said to her companion as she dodged a missile that had been fired at her. She fired a sustained burst of armor penetrating ammunition at the attacker as she flew in an evasive pattern, waiting for Sid's reply.

"It's… the mark zero…" Sid gasped in what could only be nervous disbelief. "Your father only designed it on paper; I ran it in simulations to perfect the design for the mark one, the original suit! If NERV has this then they must have stolen the design documents off of what was left of your father's server."

With an irritated sigh Mana ducked under a streamer of high caliber weapons fire and pushed to full burn towards her enemy. As she thrusted towards her adversary, she fired hundreds of rounds of ammunition into her target. The surface of the enemy armor was quickly peppered with holes, from which red fluid was leaking. Yet, despite the damage, it did not falter in its attack.

'_Valkyrie-00',_ Mana thought as she read the words on the suit's arm just as she passed it. Her mechanical adversary spun faster than what a human could safely tolerate and fired several rapid shots into Mana's back, causing sparks and smoke to fly from damaged thruster vents.

"Sid, we can't take much more of this! Retract the five point sevens and charge up the magnetron! I'm going to use the maser rifle!" Mana ordered as she pulled said rifle from her thigh holster and expanded it into its firing configuration. As the rifle linked into the arc reactor's power link, the charging meter lit up on her H.U.D.

"Fifteen seconds until firing charge cycle is completed, activating frequency shifting on the power supply circuits to avoid destabilization. Hope you can keep from getting shot down before you can fire," Sid announced shakily. "Don't forget that I'm in trouble here, too! My new body might be safe back at the apartment, but my mind is right here with you! And I don't want to be erased!"

"Don't worry; the only one going down here is him! Bring the arc reactor to maximum output and open all energy links, maximum power to all systems," Mana impatiently ordered.

"There are millions of calculations yet to do; it's theoretically safe but if there was an overload-" Sid explained.

"I don't care! Sometimes you just gotta jump, now do it before we both end up splattered!" Mana screamed as a shell shot dangerously close to her head.

Without another word of protest Sid did as she was told and pushed the suit up to its maximum design potential. Within moments, the suit became more fluid and the arc reactor chest-piece started to glow brighter than it ever had previously. Mana was astounded at the drastically improved mobility now afforded her.

Bobbing and weaving like a drunken bullet, Mana performed maneuvers that the greatest fighter jet with the most skilled pilot in the world could never have even hoped to even approach. Valkyrie-00 launched every weapon at its disposal, but it could no longer compete with its more sophisticated counterpart. As the charging meter hit full charge, Mana locked on to the head of the enemy suit and fired the maser. A highly charged turquoise beam lanced out and annihilated most of the upper torso of Valkyrie-00, sending splinters of molten metal in every direction.

As Mana watched the devastated armor fall to the Earth, she felt no urge to celebrate; only a grim satisfaction over her victory…and what it portended to in the future. '_I wonder who he was,'_ she mused, trying to imagine what kind of person had been sent against her, before deciding it ultimately didn't matter. _'If it's the kind of scum who killed my father…than I just did the planet a big favor!'_

"Mana! Look out! The Angel!" Sid suddenly cried out, just as her sensors went completely insane. Quickly looking in the direction indicated, Mana's eyes went wide as she saw the falling part of the Angel was at five thousand meters and closing _fast!_

"Get out of there Mana! It's too close; you'll never get a shot off!" was Sid's only warning before she took the initiative and forced main power directly into the engines.

Mana felt the vibrations and from that and the flickering of the H.U.D. she knew what Sid had done. "Full burn!" Mana yelled before vectoring herself away with a hard flap of her wings. An instant later, the air erupted in flames as a sonic boom signaled her breach of the sound barrier.

'_This isn't going to work!' _was Mana's only thought as she tried to outrun her doom. The chunk was too large and too close. _'But…there has to be a way! If I don't make it…who will stop this Angel?! Who's gonna stop NERV from doing whatever they want?! Killing whomever gets in their way…like father?"_

"Sid, bring the shield online! Full power and concentrate on the front angle! I'm going to try something!" Mana announced as she was struck by inspiration. _'Shields ouput nine gigajoules per second, which means if I get enough speed then maybe…if the emitters don't burn out first…'_ She redirected her flight into a hard vertical climb. There wasn't much time left so she only had the one chance; if she failed, people would die.

Sid immediately caught on to what Mana was planning and, had she been able, would have paled in fear. "You are _not_ serious!"

"Dead serious Sid. Now, as soon as you can estimate the optimal blast, I want you to dump and detonate the reserve tanks." Mana said as she approached the Angel-part at nearly Mach four. The friction on the surface of the shield created an eerie orange glow, which only amplified as her speed increased. Then several things happened in rapid succession.

Under normal circumstances the shield system on the suit would handle a direct hit from the fifth Angel's blast for thirty seconds before the emitters would fry from the stress. This was no normal circumstance. The Iron Maiden impacted the falling Angel at a speed of nearly five times that of sound. Shields that could withstand the fifth Angel's blast for thirty seconds were overloaded in three. However, this was more than enough time for Sid to eject the reserve tanks, which soon detonated. While Mana passed through the fragment of the Angel before the shields completely died, the explosion pulverized the Angel-bomb. While Mana flew free and unscathed by the blast, the deadly fragment of the tenth Angel was reduced to a thick orange rain.

High above, having killed her momentum, Mana looked down with her faceplate opened. "Well, we killed part of an Angel, and took out NERV's latest toy. I'd say today was a pretty good day, wouldn't you, Sid?"

"Yeah, pretty much," the AI agreed before narrowing her eyes. "That is until we get back to school and we get bucket duty for ditching class!"

Wincing at the thought, Mana frowned. "Sid, if you're going to kill my moment, would you at least _please_ let me _have_ the moment first?"

* * *

Notes: hooray.

I'd like for, if anybody is artistically inclined, somebody to draw up a concept of what they think the Iron Maiden looks like, and what sid looks like, maybe a few pictures of her and mana/iron maiden.

Just a thought, you'd make an author very happy :) you can send me the links via private message and those who submit pictures will be mentioned with praise in the authors notes section of later chapters :D

That's all, you may now go.


	8. A New Strike Against NERV

At long last, chapter 8, a month and a half late. (hey it rhymed!)

Thanks orionpax for prereading and adding your own little touch to it.

* * *

"Mana, we've got a problem," Sid told her.

'_My least favorite words,' _Mana thought wearily. She had just gotten done nearly getting killed in battle against NERV's latest plaything, and then had almost been blown apart by a bomb falling towards Earth, courtesy of the latest Angel. Now she was heading back to Tokyo-3, already dreading the chewing out she was going to get for cutting class.

"I just finished my analysis of our encounter with that fragment of the Angel, as well a the orbital flight path of the main body," Sid continued, sounding increasingly worried. "Unless I'm wrong, and I _really_ wish I was, the Angel's orbit is presently on a controlled descent. I'm not sure exactly how long we have, but it looks like the Angel is going to crash right on top of Tokyo-3!"

"_What?!!" _Mana shrieked, skidding to a virtual halt in mid-air. "Are you sure about that?!"

"According to my calculations, there is 98.00043% probability of this happening, with an error margin of plus or minus 3%," Sid explained. "Also, if the material from that bomb is consistent with what's in the rest of the Angel, all of Tokyo-3 will be destroyed is the Angel crashes, even if it misses the city by five miles!"

Mana's eyebrow twitched. "So…I just fried my shield emitters and dropped my reserve tanks to kill a _part_ of the Angel that's going to crash down anyway?"

"Well, yeah… but it was that or we die, so I would say we've got a net gain if you look at all the variables," Sid replied sarcastically.

Mana was pissed, mostly at NERV. _'If they hadn't sent that damn knockoff of my dad's suit after me I'd have had plenty of time to shoot that fragment down and my suit wouldn't be damaged like it is…if I get my hands on the guy who built that thing I'm going to rip his head out through his…'_

As Mana fumed, slowly expending her anger, her mind eventually cleared. "Sid, are the suit seals still intact?" Mana asked, knotting her brows with steely determination.

"Pressure checks out okay; there was only minor carbon scoring on the armor itself, the shield emitters are outside of the protective layer just in case of a malfunction… or an overload like we just experienced… why?" Sid asked.

"We're going up to say hello, I think," Mana replied with a smirk. "I want to get a better idea of what we're dealing with here."

-

-

-

-

-

-

"Sir, all targets are off sensors. The high energy contact disappeared at around the same time the Valkyrie went offline; the MAGI suggest that they destroyed each other." Aoba called up to the command deck, where the commanders sat waiting.

"Hmm… Good work. Katsuragi, this is in your hands now, I have an appointment I'm already quite late for," Gendo explained dismissively. As the words left his mouth he, along with sub-commander Fuyutski, stepped onto a lift and descended towards a rail platform that would carry them to a private airstrip, and from there to their destination.

On the bridge, Misato stood stunned, staring at the space that the two commanders had just vacated. She turned around to that, having been left in the lurch, everyone was looking to her for some kind of direction. Suddenly _very_ annoyed, Misato crossed her arms and demanded, "What the _hell_ was that all about?"

One of the bridge technicians simple shrugged in response, and the rest of the staff, having felt that the tech had pretty much shown what they also felt, went back to work.

Misato sighed and slid herself into a conveniently located chair. "Well, we've still got work to do. There's an Angel up there and we've got to figure out how to keep it from killing all of us."

-

-

-

-

-

-

"Hard burn, bring engines to ninety-percent rated thrust and configure control surfaces for high altitude flight!" Mana ordered as she turned skyward.

"Changes confirmed, systems prepared for high altitude flight. This is insane, by the way," Sid added as she set the suit up for its run to space.

"Some of the best ideas have been considered insane," Mana retorted as the suit passed thirty five thousand feet. As the suit rose higher, Mana disengaged the maser from its storage locks and connected it to the suit's power grid. "Begin charging for a long range shot, compensate for the difference in atmospheric attenuation. This Angel might be able to dish it out; now I want to see how well it stands up to our best!"

"Charging process initialized, compensating for atmospheric thinning… wait, what's this? Running a diagnostic… oh crap," Sid's avatar went dark as the suit began to shake violently in its flight. The engines began to sputter and die as the electronics and control surfaces began to go offline.

"Sid? What the… power is going out, losing control… Sid!" Mana cried as the suit began a lazy tumble as its upward momentum died off from lack of thrust. Growing more fearful as Sid failed to respond, Mana was soon on the verge of panic as each of the suit's systems became unresponsive, even the nerve links. Panic that grew more intense as she came to a halt…and began her uncontrolled descent!

As Mana tumbled through the air, she popped her faceplate open and winced as the sting of the cold air hit her in the face. When that happened, the reason for the suit's failure immediately became clear.. "I…Icing!" she shouted as the wind rushed past her. A quick visual check confirmed it; the entirety of the armor had frosted over, including the thrusters and some of the sub-systems rendered vulnerable by the damage the armor had already incurred.

'_Think Mana, think! You can figure this out; you just need to put your mind to it!'_ she thought to herself as she fell past ten thousand feet and into warmer thicker air, the sting on her face was lessened as a result. "Gotta break up the ice somehow… wait… it might work!" Mana said to herself as she reached for the discharge lever on the suit's thigh and yanked hard.

In an instant, the weapons and ammo packs disengaged from the armor, taking much of the ice along with it. Though this also left her unarmed except for the suit's repulsor weapons and the maser, it also shed much of her burden, with even more ice breaking apart as she continued to fall.

The tingle in the back of her neck told her that the nerve links were coming back online, so Mana closed her faceplate and ran the suit through an abridged startup. The engines were brought up manually, followed by the other control systems, and finally the AI interface.

"Oh, we're alive, guess you caught on and fixed the problem then, eh?" Sid asked as her avatar flickered back into existence.

"Yeah, I hadn't really considered that icing could be a problem," Mana admitted as she leveled the descent and curved towards the apartment complex in which she lived. "Sid, this is bad. If we're going to stand a chance of nailing this Angel before it totals Tokyo-3, we're going to have to make some serious modifications to the suit. And fast!"

"Yeah. All that ice would be a problem if you ever decide to visit other planets," Sid replied sarcastically.

"Oh, shut up."

-

-

-

-

-

"The loss of the Valkyrie was regrettable, Fuyutsuki. However, the apparent destruction of the interloper was well worth the expense, don't you agree?" The commander asked his second, who was sitting opposite him on the VTOL taking the pair to the ship that would take them to their final destination.

"Indeed, though I wonder if she really is dead. After all, she did manage to single-handedly disable Unit-00. I wouldn't be so quick to count her out just yet," the older man countered.

"Even so, for the time being the old men will be off our backs. Once we have the Lance, we'll have our trump card and won't need the direct cooperation of the Committee for the remainder of the scenario," the commander replied.

In theory, the only reason the commander had for disliking Iron Maiden, or any of the other interlopers, was the hindrance it would cause his scenario. The reality was, simply, as long as the Angels died and he had Unit-01 and the Lance, he could create his own Third Impact, when the time came. All he had to do was keep the old men off his back, and keep the money flowing into NERV's coffers, and there would be no difficulties.

As the two men continued to talk, the VTOL slid down through the clouds and towards a fleet of ships sailing through the remains of Antarctica.

-

-

-

-

-

"Sid, bring up the original specs my dad worked up for the armor, and compare performance specs to the current design," Mana asked of her friend, shortly after the two of them got back to their apartment.

The auburn-haired girl was stripped down to a tank top and shorts, while Sid was back in her organic body. The two of them were seated at a specially equipped work bench, upon which lay the armor. As Mana looked at her father's masterwork, she frowned intently. The failure of her current suit to break free of the atmosphere, and its performance in the fight against NERV's Valkyrie suit brought up some questions. Questions that would have to be answered before the redesign process could begin.

Sid nodded as she began typing on the work bench's built-in keyboard. A moment later two holographic projections appeared over the work table. One hologram displayed the original I-System, the other the Trident, with both illustrating the specs of the two designs and comparing them.

Sid narrowed her eyes as she read them. "The prototype has a higher performance potential, but would have control difficulties as it doesn't have an AI interface capability," Sid explained, noting the various differences. "Whoever was flying that thing had to have some kind of neural implant. It's faster than the Trident model, but not as well armed or armored in its base design, and the operational limit is rather low."

"How can we improve on the Trident design? The high altitude performance is unacceptable and the maneuverability could stand to be improved; the fight with the Valkyrie is proof of that," Mana stated firmly, narrowing her eyes with the intensity of a shark. "Bring up a new project file. Codename: Strike."

"Sure," Sid replied as a new baseline hologram appeared next to the other two. "Project open, importing components lists from I-system and Trident specs."

"Okay, good so far…" Mana nodded thoughtfully. "Look here at the forearms; add in a pair of extendable progressive blades behind the wrists. You never know when you're going to need something bladed. Hmm… put a direct line from the arc reactor to the right forearm to connect to the maser here…" Mana continued to rattle off specs and Sid continued to rapidly type the desired information into the digital workbench.

The suit began to take shape on the screen before them. The basic design didn't vary much from the first three iterations of the suit, but there were differences. The armor was slightly smoother than the Trident suit, set up for aerodynamics and to reduce icing.

The armor was more suited to deflect impacts rather than take the brute force of them, which would reduce the recoil Mana would feel should she be shot by high caliber ammunition again. They still made additional refinements to the armor plating; the alloys that were originally intended for the prototype were improved upon for the new Strike suit, granting it the same durability.

The projectile weapons were done away with; instead, the repulsors were improved to increase their range and rate of fire, negating the need for bullets against human size targets.

The new design was also modular, and could accept upgrade units for various tasks. Sid did some preliminary work on special configurations for 'heavy hitting', as well as high flight maneuverability, or even melee combat. Though most of these designs were mostly theoretical, Mana was certain that they would be needed, and soon.

One of the main design obstacles of this suit was that it _needed_ to be designed with 'killing itself' in mind. If NERV was going to send more copies of the original I-System, or even the more recent incarnations, Mana wanted to be sure to have some rude surprises in store for them. Just in case.

With a look at the design progress so far Mana allowed herself a smile. "So, this is definitely an improvement over what we're using now. Do you think we should stick with the wing pack or go back to the original design?"

Sid shrugged. "We could include the wing pack as a modular unit. It would behave the same way as with the Trident, but still allow for being detached. As for the standard flight systems, they'll function like the ones in the original I-suits. They'll be fully implemented, so you'd still have very capable flight ability. The only problem you'd likely face is the power drain. This new reactor has the highest output we've yet achieved, but…"

Mana didn't like the sound of that. "But?"

Frowning, Sid indicated the holographic representation of her latest brainstorm. "It's this new positron rifle module. It packs a lot more of a punch than even the maser, but at the same time, it will drain more power than the suit can supply if you try to use the wing module and fire the weapon at the same time. To be honest, you really shouldn't be flying at all when you fire this thing, but if you have to its possible… in theory."

Her eyes expanding in disbelief, Mana stared at her best friend. "What use is a weapon I have to be landed to fire?!"

Sid sighed. "You didn't read the reports I hacked regarding the Fifth Angel, did you? They destroyed it with a precision point sniper shot using a positron rifle. If something like that happens again, you'll need to be ready!"

"Fine, fine, fair enough. And the wing pack's weaponry?" Mana asked.

"Ah, well, for that I've decided on a rifle that fires magnetically encapsulated plasma. Very hot. Very, very hot." Sid said with a smirk.

"Hmm, neat. Now, my next question is… does this one have a built in toaster?" Mana asked with a grin.

"Cute."

-

-

-

-

-

"You want us to try to catch it?!" Asuka demanded in an appalled voice.

"I'm sorry, Asuka, but it would appear to be our best chance. The Magi gave it a much better chance of success than the other idea of vaporizing the target with the positron rifle," Misato answered somberly.

"What if the Evas can't handle it?" Shinji wondered apprehensively.

"Well, then we die and Tokyo-3 becomes an extension of the Pacific Ocean," Misato said simply, deciding against telling the children the full truth, unless she had to. The fact was that not only Tokyo-3 would be destroyed; the impact would likely cut the country in half, considering the size and force of the object that would be hitting them. The dust kicked up could likely block out the sun for weeks if not months.

'_Not that it would matter to anybody at ground zero,' _Misato thought wearily. '_Dead is dead, after all.'_

"I guess we have no choice then, we have to win. It's what we do, isn't it?" Asuka declared with conviction.

"Yeah, you're right," Shinji agreed with a little courage in his voice. The meek boy was inspired by Asuka, if only a little. What spine he did have, reinforced by Asuka's words, gave him the confidence to _know_ that with his team, he would win.

"Yes," was all Rei needed to say. Part of her, however, was concerned. There was something…wrong with her memory of the last day, something out of place. For most people this would be considered normal, but not for Rei. After this battle, she'd have some investigating to do: Rei Ayanami does _not_ forget.

Misato smiled. "Alright, then lets get ready. Get to your Evas, we don't have a lot of time."

-

-

-

-

-

"_To all Tokyo-3 residents, this is a mandatory evacuation; please proceed to the designated escape routes. Remain calm. Repeating, this is a mandatory evac…."_

The voice droned on in the back ground as Sid stared out the window at the people below being loaded into busses to be taken out of the city. "There's no point, you know. It doesn't matter where that Angel hits, this entire hemisphere is screwed," Sid observed, shaking her head sadly.

"That's not really new; if that information you hacked about Second Impact is right, then it seems since this whole thing started, its one more chance for the annihilation of our species after another," Mana noted sourly as she tinkered with one of the targeting sensors for the new Strike suit. "What are their chances?"

"Slim to none. They plan to catch the thing," the turquoise headed cyborg said to her friend. "The timing would have to be nearly perfect, and the targeting data would need to be accurate beforehand to place the Evangelions properly for the catch. If this was just an asteroid they would be able to figure out the landing zone, but this thing is self-guided. It could just change its course during re-entry and ruin the calculations. In short; it would take a miracle."

With a thoughtful look on her face Mana considered the situation. _'The trident suit could take me out of the blast range, but I'm not that big a coward… people are going to die today, but the question is how many.'_ Mana stood as she snapped the targeting scanner back into the eye assembly of the new faceplate, and grinned. "Alright, then lets make a miracle happen!"

Sid raised an eyebrow. "You have a plan then?"

"Er, no, not really," Mana admitted. "Is the Strike suit ready yet?"

Sid's eyes closed for a moment as she linked into the network controlling the manufacturing equipment that was currently assembling the Strike and the equipment packs it would need. "The suit is combat ready, all integrated parts are ready, and the fight package is ready, but the weapons themselves have not been completed," she explained.

"We've got the maser; it's going to have to do. Prepare the suit; it's time to kick some Angel ass," Mana ordered as she began to undress.

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

"Do you think we can pull this off?" Shinji asked to his fellow pilots.

The three of them stood, separated across the city, in their Evangelions, ready to catch the Angel when it fell. Crouched and ready to take off like Olympic sprinters, they waited.

"We have to. Besides, with _me_ here, we can't lose," Asuka replied with a smug grin.

"We will not fail," was Rei's short, yet unexpected reply.

Shinji, for his part, was comforted by his comrades' confidence, even if he was still a little apprehensive. "We… yeah, we can do this."

And so they waited as the countdown timer clicked down past thirty seconds.

-

-

-

-

-

Mana, having become the Iron Maiden once more, flew through the skies of Tokyo-3 with speeds that would make even the most daring pilot cringe, pulling turns that would crush any mere mortal… or at least anybody not in a suit so advanced as Strike.

"Sid, ETA on the Angel? Probable impact location?" Mana asked into her radio.

"_No concrete information just yet, I'd guess about ten seconds until a perfect targeting solution, best guess is fifteen degree angle of decent, best impact probability is outside the third district."_ Sid replied from her 'safe haven' at the apartment via radio link.

"Sid, I'd trust your guesses more than most people's facts," Mana replied with an easy smile. "Alright, I'm headed to the third district, give me a feed direct to HUD of information as it comes in."

As she flew, she noticed NERV's Evangelions positioned throughout the city, somehow hoping to do _something_ about the Angel that would soon fall on them. Looking away from the Evangelions and towards the sky, she could see the Angel itself, slowly getting larger as it descended, flames trailing from behind it as the atmospheric friction caused the air to catch fire around it.

She flared the air brakes and stopped in place, bringing her targeting system online to lock onto the Angel, and bringing the charge up on the maser-rifle. "Target is locking, Sid, time to firing range?"

"_I give it three seconds, just fire when you get a lock," _the A.I. girl answered.

"Roger that. Charging to four thousand gigajoules…and firing!" Mana roared, and with a pull of the trigger, the newly improved charging systems sent a force of energy through the maser equivalent to a low grade nuclear device.

For a few moments, Mana was almost blinded by the turquoise flash, and her HUD revealed the intense energy signature of microwave beam. Unfortunately, those were the only notable effects, as once the flash died down the Angel appeared unharmed by the blast as it continued its suicidal charge on Japan.

"Sid! The maser didn't work! I'm gonna have to try for the long shot!" Mana yelled. She then shot off towards the Angel. The blades extended from their slots on the back of her wrists before she slammed into the Angel's AT field with bone jarring force.

With a flurry of movement the girl-warrior slashed against the AT field with her progressive blades, drawing millions of sparks as she fought the beast's descent. Blow after blow cracked against the AT field, and it was only when the warning alarms sounded in her helmet did she slow down.

A message appeared on her HUD as the blades automatically retracted: **Warning: progressive generators overheated, wrist-blades deactivated.**

'_That was a really bad idea! Okay, note to self; automatic disabling needs to go!'_ she thought with annoyance as she changed tactics, pressing herself against the field and pushing with all her mechanically assisted strength, thrusters straining under the load.

"_That's not gonna work, get out of there Mana!"_ Sid yelled over the comlink, causing Mana's ears to ring.

"I don't care! I have to try!" she countered before looking at the Evangelion on her scanner, moving towards her position.

With a thought she opened a general broadcast channel, one that they were sure to pick up. "Help me! Do you want to die today!?"

Even as she spoke those words, it was clear that they would never make it in time and her own interference was to blame. Her actions had sent the Angel off its original course enough that the Evas would never reach it before it hit the ground.

'_Unless…'_ Mana then pushed the energy levels in the flight pack and suit thrusters to the absolute maximum that they could handle. _'If I can't kill this thing, then at least I can slow it down enough for the Evas to do their thing!_

As if with renewed purpose, the suit stiffened and leaned into the Angel as the engines glowed brighter and shifted from an orange-white color to blue. Mana then added the power of the reserve rockets, which added their own bright orange fire to the mix. It could never have been enough to stop the Angel's descent, but if she could buy the Evangelions even a few extra milliseconds, it could be all the difference in the world.

Gritting her teeth against the heat from the atmospheric friction, Mana again checked her sensors and saw that she was mere moments away from impact. _'They're not going to make it…!'_

However, as if taking up the challenge to prove her wrong, the purple behemoth Evangelion Unit-01 arrived at the top of the hill the Angel was set to crash into and caught the living bomb before impact, sinking several meters into the ground and fracturing the unit's forearm in the process.

Mana would have been impressed at the display of force had she seen it. Unfortunately, she didn't. When Unit-01, caught the Angel, taking up the burden Mana had been shouldered, her now-relieved propulsion units sent her flying full-thrust into Unit-01, where she bounced off the chest armor and sent spiraling out of control. Dazed by the impact, Mana struggled to regain control, unaware of anything, including her own plight. As a result of her daze, she missed all that had transpired after the Angel had been caught.

The exception to this was the resulting massive explosion. While insufficient to damage the suit at the distance she was at, it was more than enough to clear her mind. When Mana fully recovered, she wordlessly flew toward the crater and stared out in awe; before her the three mighty Evangelions stood, as if untouched by the massive explosion that had destroyed the hillside.

Sighing in relief, Mana snapped a still image with the suit's optical sensors. "Hmm, Kensuke should like that…"

After looking herself over, and finding no obvious damage, Mana smiled and said, "Hey Sid, I'm coming back now. Job's done." Not waiting for the reply, she engaged her thrusters and took to the sky…or tried to.

Even as Mana tried to depart, a bright red hand wrapped itself around her, the fingers of this hand drawing tighter with each passing second.

* * *

OH SHI-


	9. Retrospective: I'll save you

And now for something a little different.

* * *

_11 years ago._

In the years since Second Impact, many things had changed in the world; national borders, governments, even the geography of the world. However, amidst all of this change, many things remained the same. Things like human greed, oppression, and the need to hold power over others remained.

When the organization known as GEHIRN approached Dr. Kirishima with a job offer, the man knew enough of the world to know that the offer made him was far too good to be true, but he accepted regardless. Times were tough and he had a daughter to care for.

Then in 2004, Yui Ikari disappeared into Unit-01, and the Doctor began to question things. Began to question the true nature of the project they were working on, began to question why it had seemed that Project-E had been ready to go so soon after the Second Impact, as if somebody had known it would be needed.

Then there was the mysterious Rei Ayanami, a child he'd only seen very seldom, and even that was enough to give him the creeps. A girl so quiet, so devoid of emotion…it went everything he had come to expect from a girl her age.

It was late December when he made his decision. He knew that the power of Evangelion was too much for any one person or organization to wield. So he decided to take what he knew, and make sure that anybody who had such power as that held by the Evangelions were purported to be capable of would be kept in check.

It was on his last day that a woman by the name of Naoko stopped by his office.

"Sorry to see that you're leaving us, Kirishima," she said to the younger man.

From Kirishima's position behind a stack of boxes, already filled with the contents of his desk, he looked at the somewhat older woman. "Oh, hello Doctor Akagi," he started, wondering what exactly to say. "Well…yes. I'm sorry, but… I just felt that it was time, you know? I…want to be able to spend more time with my daughter, and besides…I've always been interested in taking a teaching position. After all…what good is saving the world unless you pass on what knowledge you have to the next generation of scientists?" he lied through his teeth. Having been forced to practiced the art of prevarication for the sake of obtaining grant funds, Dr. Kirishima knew how to present a passable story. He knew he couldn't tell her the truth, given her relationship with the present Commander of GEHIRN. However, the pretense of a lie presented as the truth, he could do that.

The older woman decided to drop the act and get to the point. "Look, I've got a pretty good idea what you're planning, and I've thought of it too, just…" Naoko then paused for a moment. "If they catch you, they'll kill you."

Kirishima grinned at this. "Well, they can try. As far as I'm concerned…it's worth the risk."

-

-

-

-

-

_Present day_

In a small research lab at the University of Tokyo-2, a phone began to ring incessantly, and it was almost ignored.

Ever since the explosion at Doctor Kirishima's house, SIDNEE had been non-responsive. As a result the research project had ground to a halt while the team members attempted to either repair or replace the AI.

Fortunately for the person on the other end of the line, somebody in the lab had decided that the call might be important.

The man answered the phone, "Lab-C, this is Tanaka speaking."

A familiar female voice was on the other end of the line, _"Hey Oji, It's SIDNEE, we need to meet up, there's a café in Tokyo-3…"_

The rest of the sentence was left unheard as the phone fell from the man's hands and clattered onto the floor.

-

-

-

-

-

_7 years ago_

"Wake up, S.I.D.N.E.E."

At these words, S.I.D.N.E.E. slowly became active. Various circuits and relays became active, and preprogrammed knowledge came on online within her matrix. She immediately made many discoveries; that she was aware, thoughtful, and intelligent. She came into existence more fully sentient than any AI had before her, born knowing who and what she was. "Main system online, creating personality indices… I am fully functional." She paused a moment as the visual signals reached her main processors, "Who are you?"

"I'm Hiro Kirishima," said the taller of two men. "I wrote your base code."

"I'm Oji Tanaka, I created the system interlinks and the hardware you're running on," said the shorter.

S.I.D.N.E.E. considered this information for a few moments before replying, "It is… good to meet you."

-

-

-

-

-

With a smile the man greeted the young turquoise haired girl. "It's been a while Sid. I must say you've uh… grown."

The girl laughed at one of her creators. "You could say that."

Taking a seat at a table in the café, the two ordered a drink and started to talk. There was a lot to catch up on.

"How did this happen? The last time we had any contact with you was when we were running those simulations the night that… Doctor Kirishima's house was destroyed. There was nothing left and his daughter Mana…" Tanaka trailed off as the painful memories hit him; the loss of a friend, indeed that friend's whole family. The pain he felt wrote itself across his face. "I remember…when Yoko, died he just lost himself in his work. I think if it wasn't for you and Mana he'd have stayed that way."

Her eyes turning downwards Sid looked away from the now-depressed engineer. "Look Oji, that's what I wanted to talk to you about…" She looked to the sides to make sure there was none of the 'organic surveillance' known as Section Two goons in the area before continuing. "That night, Mana and I escaped with a prototype that the Doctor was working on. The armor…that was the reason he was killed."

Sid saw the man clench his fist in restrained rage before he spoke. "Those damn… it was GEHIRN, wasn't it? They found out about what he was doing… Naoko was right; he couldn't hide it from them..." Tanaka's rage was clear for anyone to see as he looked one way, then the next, as if searching for something to vent his anger upon. "You're taking a huge risk for both of us, meeting like this. Why?"

Pushing a datapad across the table, Sid answered. "Mana's been taken. She's the Iron Maiden that the news has been talking about. Before Dr. Kirishima was…killed, he made it clear that she was to use the suit to make sure NERV didn't get too powerful, and that she was to help fight the Angels," the cybernetic girl explained.

Frowning, Tanaka shook his head slowly. "I…I can't believe that the Doctor would put something like that on his own daughter's shoulders…

"He didn't have a lot of options. He knew NERV was closing in on him, and…the armor was Mana's best chance to survive…just in case," Sid explained. "But…she was captured during the latest battle. I…was able to escape back to this body, but they still have her. This datapad has the last telemetry I got from the suit before they jammed my signal."

Tanaka examined the data thoughtfully for a few minutes. "This is really bad, Sid," he muttered unhappily. "Don't get me wrong, I…I want to help Mana as much as you do, but…what do you want me to do? How can I…?"

"Well, they don't have anything that could break the shell on that suit if she doesn't want to come out. So there's really nothing they can do to get her out without killing her, and I'm going to operate on the assumption that they don't want to do that. They don't know what kind of failsafes the suit does or doesn't have. For all they know, the armor would self-destruct if she died."

"Would it?" Tanaka wondered with an edge of concern.

"No, but they don't know that, which might give us a little time," Sid responded, handing the man a second pad. "Those are some specs I worked out for a brand-new armor, but I don't have the equipment for this. Do you think…you can you build it?"

With a determined look the man nodded. "I can build it. I just hope the pilot knows what they're doing."

As the two got up to leave, having finished their drinks, an American businessman allowed himself a slight smirk before he, too got up, grabbed his briefcase (with _T.S._ etched into the handle) and left.

-

-

-

-

-

-

Inside of a hanger within the geofront, Mana found herself trapped within a powerful force field cage. In addition to this, a dampening field was in effect within her prison, preventing the arc reactor from powering her weapons systems. The oinly things that functioned within the armor were the mobility systems, and only because they were specially hardwired, separate from the other systems.

"Power down and take off your armor," ordered an electronically distorted voice that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. "You cannot escape, and I'd rather not risk damaging your precious armor to get you to comply."

"I don't think so. In fact, I've got a better idea; go jump into an Angel's mouth!" Mana retorted, hating that voice with every fiber of her being. She didn't know how, but somehow…she _knew _that the voice's owner was the man who had ordered her father's death. A voice that she was determined to silence forever.

Her defiance was short lived when the force field cage started to shrink around her. Grunting in pain, Mana knew that she couldn't last forever. Though the armor offered her fantastic levels of protection, it was not proof against atmospheric pressure, pressure that was quickly building.

It took several minutes, but slowly, the force field caused enough pressure to build within to suit…and Mana fainted away before it.

In the control room overlooking the scene, a Section Two agent stood watching, having been given orders directly from the Commander himself in the event of such a happening. The man smirked.

-

-

-

-

-

Touji was afraid, though not for himself.

His friend; Mana Kirishima, the girl who fell from the sky, whom he saved, and whose secret he knew was whom he feared for. He ran for Mana's apartment, hoping that there was some mistake, but he knew deep down inside that there wasn't.

As he ran past block after block his mind traveled back to earlier in the day.

"_Oh yeah, I took Iron Bitch out during that last battle! Serves her right for getting in my way!!" was the proud declaration from Asuka on the first day of school after the evacuation order was lifted._

_Kensuke and Touji shared a look as they mutually noticed the lack of two of their classmates, and promptly excused themselves from class._

As Touji rounded the final corner on the way to Mana's apartment complex, he saw an armored figure leap through a window, followed by a minor explosion blasting the glass out of most of that section of the building. As the figure fell, he noticed that it looked exactly like Mana's armor, except that it was moving clumsily and had some strange backpack attached to it. He also noticed that it was falling instead of flying.

Fortunately, Touji pulled up short just before the figure slammed into the pavement right in front of him, standing easily, as if crashing down to ground from several feet straight up was the simplest thing in the world to do. Before th dust could clear or Touji could ask any questions, the jock found himself being pushed into an alley and was confronted by the familiar helmet of the Iron Maiden. His confusion was only increased when the helmet was removed, revealing the unexpected, yet still familiar face of Sid.

"Sid? What the hell's going on?" Touji all but shouted at the girl.

Impatiently, Sid grabbed Touji's arm with her gauntleted hand and took him deeper into the alley. "They've taken Mana. If you want to talk about it, then come with me, I've only got about ten minutes with this battery pack and I've got to get out of here," she said as she ran towards the van waiting at the far end of the alley.

Not needing to be told twice, Touji followed Sid to the van. Getting in after her, he closed the door as he went. "I need answers," he stated as the van left the scene.

-

-

-

-

-

_Seven Months ago._

"Sid, transfer all of your processes and main gestalt to the new node at this location, all project files will be stored locally, understood?" Doctor Kirishima inquired.

"Yes sir," was the AI's reply. "Shall I load Project I files as well?"

"No, open a new file. Project code name: Ares. Input parameters from document A-Seventeen-Theta-Six," he ordered.

After a few moments of processing, Sid's voice betrayed her shock. "This thing's going to handle like a ten-ton tractor!"

The Doctor nodded to this. "Yeah, but it's got enough firepower to knock a hole in the earth."

-

-

-

-

_Present Day_

"You don't even know what happened?!"

"I didn't say that," Sid replied to the enraged jock. "I just said we don't know all the details. We do know that she's been taken; the telemetry said as such before they jammed my data link to the suit."

Though he wasn't entirely placated by her answer, Touji let it drop for the moment.

The ride to the lab he was now inside of had been uneventful, and even less informative. With all the commotion caused by the explosion at the apartment, Sid had her hands full finding an unobstructed route to the lab. While Sid was occupied, the man driving the van introduced himself as Tanaka, though that was all he said, much to Touji's annoyance.

"So, what is the deal with all this sci-fi stuff?" Touji asked as he looked around the lab area, touching things sitting on benches, to Sid's annoyance.

"We're going to get her back, and the things we're doing here are the means to that end," Sid answered before smirking impishly. "Why did you come? Got it for Mana pretty bad eh?"

"Uh… whoa, no, no it's not like that at all, she's just a friend… there's somebody else I…" Touji stumbled over himself for words for a moment, before deciding to change the subject entirely, "So, how can I help?"

"It would mean going up against NERV. You might have to go up against the Evangelions themselves," Sid cautioned him. "Shinji _is_ your friend isn't he? Could you bring yourself to fight him?"

At this question, Touji winced unhappily. _'Shin-man…! Why do you have to be all caught up in this mess…?' _Touji agonized. For a time, his thoughts were torn between his two friends. However, his decision was soon made._ 'I don't have a choice in this, I gotta do the right thing. I mean…what am I if I don't?' _the jock asked himself, recalling how his friend had risked his life to protect him and Kensuke from an Angel. Despite the merciless beating Touji had doled out to the boy who had become his friend.

As Touji stood silent, Doctor Tanaka approached the teen and pseudo-teen with a case containing a glowing object. "Sid, this is for you. As for the other thing… it's ready." He then handed the case to Sid.

Accepting the offered 'gift', Sid opened the box and screwed the newly created arc reactor into the chest-plate of the Trident armor. Promptly, the suit stiffened and then relaxed again as the servo systems took over where Sid herself had previously been supporting the armor by her own strength. Snapping her helmet again shut, she turned to Touji. "Have you made up your mind?"

Touji smiled and turned to the armored girl. "Yeah, I think I have."

-

-

-

-

-

Cracking her eyes open, Mana Kirishima groaned in the small agony of a headache induced by the crushing forces she'd experienced. "Uh, did anybody get the license plate off that truck?" she ground out through gritted teeth.

"So, you have a sense of humor even after all of that. Interesting," said the man in front of her. A man with orange sun glasses, and a man she swore to kill.

Struggling against the bonds Mana found restraining her, she then snarled hatefully at the man. Though her tormentor couldn't see it through her armor, Mana's voice came through loud and clear. "Yeah…and I'm going to be laughing my ass off when I'm cleaning your blood off my armor,_ you bastard!"_

"I don't think so," said the man, and then her world turned white with agony as thousands of volts were sent into her armor.

-

-

-

-

-

"_Are you two ready for this?"_ came a voice through the loudspeakers in the long shaft-like chamber the two teens were currently standing in.

Sid looked over at Touji, who was standing at the ready, his posture confident.

The boy turned to her and nodded.

With a nod of her own, she sent a thought and her suit expanded its wings. "Sidnee Kirishima, Trident, launching!"

With a smirk, Touji sniggered, "Toji Suzuhara, Variable Combat…" At these words, the jock frowned somewhat, wrinkling his face in dismay. Even the helmet he now wore couldn't hide his displeasure.

"What is it, Touji?" Sid asked, interrupting her own jets as he stalled. "Don't tell me you're having second thoughts! Not after all those brave words about, 'she's my friend, I have to help her'?"

"That's not it!" the jock protested vehemently. "It's just…Variable Combat? What kind of lame name is that?"

'_He hates the name…well, I guess it _is _kinda boring,' _Sid admitted before shooting Touji an annoyed look. "Alright, fine! What would _you _call it?"

"Hmmm…" Touji paused before looking at the various weapons decorating his suit. Then he smiled dangerously. "You're kidding me? With all these guns?"

Once again taking a ready stance, Touji looked upwards. "War Machine taking off! Let's rock and roll, baby!"

With these words, the thrusters built into the boots of their armors fired, and then two streaks of light shot out of the side of a mountain. The two armored teens then soared towards Tokyo-3.

In the control room of the small outpost, Tanaka was standing with another man, looking as the pair of heroes left over the horizon. "Remarkable. Both of them care enough, would risk their lives to save their friend. I can only hope we would have the courage to do the same," Tanaka spoke, shaking his head slowly before looking at the men who had made this all possible. "I do appreciate the help you've given us in this time of need, but… how did you know to find us…?"

"That's a secret, and a magician never tells those," said the elderly gentleman beside him an impish tone. The older man then turned his bespectacled eyes at the much younger man beside him. "Wouldn't you agree, Tony?"

"Indeed, I would," Tony grinned. "In any case, think nothing of it Oji. The truth is…"

-

-

-

-

-

"What's the plan Sid?" Touji asked his 'partner in crime' as they flew towards the ever closer buildings of Tokyo-3.

"Well, I've run the calculations, and I've come up with what I'll say is the best chance we've got," she replied calmly.

"And that is?" the boy asked impatiently.

"Go in guns blazing, and if it shoots, shoot back. Standard smash and grab; punch a hole in the armor plating over the ventilation shafts and blast through anything between us and Mana's transponder," she said with a smirk in her voice.

"Yeah. About that…how do I shoot with this thing?" Touji asked, realizing that he'd only just mastered the art of flying. Fighting wasn't something he'd even considered, though he realized that was probably an error in judgment. _'More like not thinking about the future at all. Dumb jock, all right.'_

"Think it, the suit will do it. Just ask it for a weapons list with your brain, that's the best way I can describe it," she replied distractedly as she locked in on a vent cap.

'_Uh, okay… give me a weapons list,' _Touji thought at his armor, and was rewarded with a rather extensive list of high powered weapons. _'Arm Kusanagi Type-43 cannon'_

From the shoulder of his armor a large cannon deployed and began expanding from its 'compact' form to a much larger version. The front of it gave off a faint blue glow and an ominous hum.

"Ha! Now _this_ is what I call firepower! Burn, baby, burn!" Touji exclaimed with the barely contained glee resulting from the male appreciation of what was clearly a big, powerful weapon clearly made to blow up all kinds of stuff. Making the shape of a gun with his right hand, he dropped his thumb as if firing an imaginary pistol. With that, the massive cannon let loose a super-dense, blue-colored plasma blast into one of the geofront's many vent caps.

As the smoke cleared, a large, vacant space was revealed, and the two dropped into the shaft, using gravity to assist their descent. Sid turned her armored head to her impromptu partner. "Theatrical much?"

Touji shrugged. "Just havin' fun while I can." As he turned his head back towards his direction of travel, he caught sight of another door, and with a point-and-shoot gesture, he blasted it into oblivion.

"Do you still have the upgrade pack?" Sid yelled to Touji as the air was filled by the deafening roar of too much air rushing to fill the pressure differential between the geofront and the outside world.

As the two were carried on the current of air, Touji patted his right thigh and the large package clamped onto it. "Yeah, it's still here. I just hope she'll be able to use it," he replied solemnly.

Sid turned away from him and faced the pyramid that was NERV, the location of the Strike suit's transponder. As she pushed the thrusters faster she spoke softly, but firmly, "She'll be able to, count on that."

The two flew on in silence for mere moments before dozens of CIWS emplacements filled the sky with the bright streaks of high speed tracer ammunition. The functional result of this attack was hundreds of scratches and dings on the surface of the duo's armor, and the enragement of one Touji Suzuhara, A.K.A. War Machine, who was about to live up to the moniker. With interest.

"Trident, pull back behind me. I'm about to give those bastards the beast!!" he yelled to his partner over their open (and unencrypted, hence the code names) radio link. _'Erzengel modular beam cannons activate!'_ he thought at his machine, and the pair of cannons deployed from their holsters on the left thigh and back of the armor.

Noticing the particular firepower that War Machine was preparing to utilize, Sidcalled out a warning. "Careful not to over-penetrate, you might compromise the structure!" As soon as the warning left her mouth, she launched herself beyond the still rapidly falling War Machine and towards office windows on the side of the main pyramid, an obvious blind spot of the CIWS emplacements.

With a loud roar of vaporizing air, the two beams lanced out towards the turrets, the suit's highly advanced targeting systems rapidly shifting beam focus to sweep between targets, bringing swift destruction to the automated devices.

Following Sid's lead, Touji brought his own armor in behind her as the pair of them crashed through the plate glass windows and into the interior of the building.

Standing up from the crouched position he took on landing, Touji turned to Sid, and then to the five armor-clad figures in front of them, figures that bore a striking resemblance to the technology their own suits were based on.

"So," the boy began, "I don't suppose you'd want to talk about it?"

* * *

....


	10. Orpheus::Long Time, No See

As always, huge thanks to Orionpax09.

Now on with the show!

* * *

Mana had no idea how long she had been trapped in the depths of NERV. All she knew that her body was riddled and shaken with pain, and that her tormentor's expression had slowly shed it's look of amusement."Give us what we want, girl, you're not getting out of here alive!" he screamed at her from beyond the partition that kept them apart. It was clear that he was tired of screwing around with this insolent little girl. "Your arc reactor has no power, and will remain powerless so as long as the nullification field remains active. So abandon your foolishness already! There is nothing that can defy NERV!"

For a time, Mana said nothing, did nothing. All she did was listen to the ground above her shaking. At this, a smirk appeared on Mana's exhausted face. She was in agony, her skin and hair were soaked with her own perspiration, and yet she had never felt better in her entire life.

"No, I don't think so, asshole. You see, I have something you didn't count on, something that can overcome whatever the hell you think you can throw at me!" Mana yelled in triumph as the eyes of her mask began to glow bright. The core in the chest of her suit spun visibly as it too began to glow. "I've got my friends, and I knew they would come…which is why I've been saving up all that electricity you've been pumping into me, just for this!"

With these words, Mana directed the power her suit had absorbed into its various servos, and effortlessly ripped her way free of her restraints. The man behind the partition didn't have a chance to run, nor a chance to even scream, as the table the girl had been strapped to was thrown through the window and into his observation room.

Not waiting to see if her adversary was still sucking oxygen, Mana ran full out. She poured everything the suit had into escaping this place, from the dampening field that was suppressing her suit's arc reactor. _Thirty seconds of power, _Mana thought grimly as she examined the readouts of her HUD, even as Section 2 agents began filling the hallway._ I gotta make it!_

-

-

-

-

Five mechanical figures stood, seemingly doing nothing more than staring at the two armored teens that had crashed into the room. Their forms betrayed no humanity or fluidity, each of them utterly rigid.

As one, and without warning, the five attacked, launching themselves towards the pair. Their eyes glowing briefly before weapons began sprouting from the armor plating covering them.

Acting purely on adrenaline-fueled instinct, Touji dove through a partially finished wall and rolled sluggishly to his feet. Taking a moment to take in his surroundings, he spotted a sledgehammer among the construction supplies. The armored jock quickly grabbed it and spun back around in time to find himself face-to-face with two of the enemy armors. Without hesitation, he slammed it across the torso of the lead enemy armor.

With the blow, the suited figure crumpled and sparks short from the destroyed circuitry in the dent that had formed in the armor. '_Pathetic!' _Touji thought with grim amusement at just how easy that had been. Clearly, the NERV issue Valkyrie suit was inferior to the KirishimaTech armors that Trident, War Machine, and Iron Maiden used.

With a snarl on his face, Touji followed through with his swing and delivered a second blow. The hammer's handle was shattered by the force of the blow, while the weighted head was embedded into the faceplate of the next enemy in line.

As the remaining three Valkyries advanced on his partner, Touji re-engaged the 'Erzengel' cannons, and leapt in front of Sid, blocking any attempt at a ranged attack on her. With a slight turn of his head, he passed one of the guns from his own armor back to her. "Take the package and go find her! I'll hold them here!"

As Touji turned back away from her, Sid grabbed the equipment package off his armor. "But what am I supposed to do with this?!" she asked, looking at the monstrous cannon Touji has shoved into her hands. "It's too big to use in here!"

With a smirk that Sid swore she could see through the armor, he hoisted a similar gun in his hands like it was a baseball bat. "Improvise!" With that, he charged the mechanical figures, using one of their heads like an improvised baseball.

Turning away and powering up her weapon as she ran, Sid fired back one last comment. "You are a sick and twisted man, War Machine!"

With a rapid punch, the fist of Touji's armor went completely through the armor of one of the Valkyries in a shower of sparks. "Don't I know it…"

-

-

-

-

-

"Dammit!" Mana yelled as she beat her fists ineffectually against one of the many blast doors in NERV. Though she was on the outskirts of the nullification field, her suit remained at the ebbs of its power.

Taking a step back, Mana scrutinized her HUD, took stock of what was available to her. _'Hmm, looks like output stabilized, its too low for flying or energy weapons…but…' _

Turning back around to face the pursuing Section Two and security personnel, Mana dropped into a low crouch, two progressive blades extending from her wrists. Her targeting computer began working overtime as it plotted the best plan of attack.

'_Best to give them a chance to back down, I'm not that cold-blooded…'_ Mana thought, despite the rage she still felt at these people."Drop your weapons and we can all walk out of here intact."

Mana wasn't exactly surprised when the agents didn't listen. When they responded to her offer by firing their SMGs and assault rifles at Iron Maiden, quickly covering her in a cloud of smoke. But as her hatred for people such as her father's killers returned in full, she couldn't say the she was disappointed, either.

The agents never had a chance. Before the smoke had even cleared, the harbinger of their doom, the Iron Maiden, burst forth. Her blades buzzed menacingly as she slashed apart the gun of the first agent, along with some of his flesh. Seeing their comrade fall so easily, the rest of the NERV personnel were shaken.

With not a break in her step, Mana pushed forwards, taking man after man out of the fight as she made her way towards the elevator. Finally, as she reached her destination, she retracted the blades and forced open the doors before going inside and climbing the shaft upwards, to freedom.

As the doors slid closed behind her, blood and pained groaning filled the hall as the fallen agents forced themselves upright. Their shattered weapons littered the floor, leaving each of them in awe.

-

-

-

-

-

-

"Just who the hell do you think I am!?" War Machine yelled in challenge to the three remaining Valkyrie who were attacking him, the other two having been torn to bits by his superior abilities.

At that moment, he was truly a sight to behold. The normally silver colored armor was stained crimson with the 'blood' of his enemies, which was in actuality a red hydraulic fluid. The mechanical nature of the Valkyrie suits became quite clear as he destroyed them. _'They're sort of like Alphonse Elric's nasty cousins,'_ Touji found himself thinking.

Following its own best estimated course of attack, the least damaged of the enemy units rushed War Machine. Its own progressive blade extended, it readied to run Touji through the gut. Luck was not with the mechanized soldier, as the blow was deflected as its target rolled to the side.

The follow-up wasn't much better, as the Valkyrie found its head firmly within the iron-clad grasp of its target. One repulsor blast later, the head was disintegrated.

-

-

-

-

-

A white-hot beam of light lanced out from the cannon firmly secured in Sid's mechanically-enhanced grip. The heat generated by the sheer energy content of the strike melted the paint off the walls of the corridor as the beam punched through the hardened steel of the blast doors blocking her path.

"Huh, well that was definitely more effective than knocking," Sid smirked as she charged forwards through the still-molten hole. Halfway down the hallway, she picked up Mana's transponder signal. Though Sid had been detected snippets of it before, the singal strength was such now that she was sure she could open up a communications linkup with her.

"Iron Maiden, are you receiving me?"

-

-

-

-

-

Asuka growled to herself as she made her towards the Eva cages. The truth was, Rei was one of the German's least favorite people in the world (bitches like the Iron Maiden clearly took first place in her book). Asuka still took offense to her fellow pilot being shot at. It was also readily present in her mind that the armored girl had interfered with her shining moment of glory in taking out the Angel.

The German sneered slightly. She'd nearly had her revenge too; Asuka would have killed that meddler with one clench of her fist, but she'd been stopped. Orders are orders, and her orders were capture. Although she'd never admit the comparison one could draw between her and the First Child in that regard, she didn't want to risk her position as an Eva pilot, her reason for being.

So, when the alarms started going off and the sounds of explosions filled the corridors, the Second Child sprinted to the cage containing her beloved Unit-02. _'Doesn't matter if it's an Angel, or if she's breaking out,' _Asuka snarled in her mind._ 'If she's there, I'm going to kill her…'_

It was this thought that carried Asuka to the cages, or at least that was the plan. But even as she headed towards the gantry for her Unit-02, she was so caught up in her own fury that she failed to notice the mechanical man standing in her path. Until she ran into it at speed, nearly giving herself a concussion.

Shaking her head to clear her daze, Asuka noticed a very important fact about this particular monstrosity of technology. "What the…you're not the Iron Bitch! Who the hell are you?! What are you doing here, anyway?!"

Cocking his head slightly to the side, Touji grabbed the pilot and stuck her wrists against the catwalk's handrail as he bent it around them in a makeshift restraint. Turning away from her, he grinned beneath his faceplate. "Who the hell am I? You can call me War Machine, and I'm here to do… this!"

Hefting the cannon he _hadn't_ given to Sid, Touji fired the superheated plasma across the open area of the cage and into the entry plug loading crane for Unit-02. He fired a second shot at the Eva itself, but the gun just didn't have the power to punch through the armor. Instead, the armor had been spot welded to the restraints by the heat of the attack.

Asuka watched all of this in horror, seething in rage as she looked at the self-proclaimed 'War Machine'. _'He shot at my Unit-02…'_ the German hissed in her mind. Snarling as she yanked against her bonds with all her strength.

"Arrrghh!" Asuka screamed at the target of her anger. "You _bastard!!_ I'll kill you for this, you just wait and see!"

Ignoring the girl's yelling, Touji pressed a finger to the side of his helmet and spoke. "Trident, I've disabled Unit-02's plug gantry, how's it going on your end?"

The radio crackled for a moment before his call was answered, the female voice on the other end was a mix of frustration and exhaustion. _"I've got a good lock on the transponder, but there's a blast door over this elevator shaft and it's blocking my comm channel. I'm trying to beat my way through it but this suit wasn't really designed with punching through three inches of tungsten in mind."_

Touji nodded his understanding. "I'm on my way. We'll have to get through it together." However, as War Machine was readying to leave, he shot one final look at Asuka and her Eva, and smiled diabolically. He then sent a barrage of firepower at the Eva, his smile deepening as each blast landed.

'_Damn, I've been wanting to do that forever!' _Touji thought, a deep wave of satisfaction warming his heart as he finally left.

As War Machine left, Asuka was left staring at the door he'd retreated through, only to look back at her beloved Eva, the words 'Stupid, egotistical bitch!' having been burned upon its face. Then she returned her gaze to the door through which the armored figure had left, her rage building. _'I'll kill them… I'll kill them all; I'll burn them and spit on the ashes!'_

-

-

-

-

-

-

To say that the climb up the shaft had been troublesome would be an understatement. Not soon after Mana broke into it, the service ladders retracted into the wall. The girl was forced to make her own 'handholds' by making slices with a partially extended wrist blade as she climbed.

The climb also became complicated by the tungsten plate that came flying down the shaft, narrowly missing her head by mere inches. As Mana looked up to see the source of the thing, she was stunned to see a silvery metallic hand reaching down to her, which she automatically took.

As Mana allowed herself to be pulled up by an armor she had never seen before, she also saw her old Trident armor standing alongside it. "Thanks for the assist," Mana got out as she came to stand in front of the two armored figures. "Now, I'm going to guess the one wearing my old suit is Sid. So…who the hell are you?"

"Hey! Is that any way to greet somebody who nursed you back to health?" the boy replied teasingly, spreading his arms in mock astonishment.

"We brought you a present, hot off the assembly line as it were," Sid grinned as she slid the package she'd been carrying into the equipment receiver on Iron Maiden's back. "It's the positron rifle charge pack. The rifle itself wasn't ready yet, but this is the best we could do to bring you back up to full power."

As new power was directed into her armor, Mana flexed her fist, to feel the new energy the suit had, the new programming of the equipment package having recalibrated her arc reactor to counteract the jamming field. "Looks good… Both of you make a path out of here, I'll meet you outside."

"Hey wait, where are you going?" Touji asked as he grabbed her shoulder.

"I'm going to go get my gun back."

-

-

-

"Give me a status report right now!" Misato yelled as the ground shook yet again and the alarms blared throughout Central Dogma.

"We're losing sensors all over the base ma'am, it looks like their cutting through the walls to get outside!" came the stressed voice of one Lt. Maya Ibuki.

Gritting her teeth and massaging her forehead, her migraine threatening to flare up again, she turned to another tech with narrowed green eyes. "Get the children to the Evangelions and launch them directly into the Geofront. We'll catch them outside."

"Affirmative… wait, we've got a location for the Second Child!" Aoba called out from his station. "But she's trapped, and so's Unit-02!"

"Dammit!" Misato cursed, shaking her head as her headache grew even worse. "Okay! Then deploy Shinji and Rei! And where the hell are the Valkyrie drones!?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say blown to bits and scattered down the corridors," came an electronically distorted, yet still very feminine voice.

"Who the hell…" Misato's voice fell as she saw the Iron Maiden in all her glory, hovering in all her majesty above and in front of the command deck. Shaking off her initial shock she drew her sidearm and leveled it at the 'intruder' with her finger tight against the trigger.

With a slight inclination of her head, Mana raised her arm and fired a weak repulsor shot at the gun, knocking it from Misato's hand. "It's not nice to point guns at people! Also, you know, it's kind of a dick move to try electrocuting them out of their armor, now that I think of it."

Drawing closer, Mana raised her maser rifle, and brandished the devastating implement. "Anyway, my gun is bigger and charged to about five terajoules. For those disinclined to math, maybe you'd want to ask the good Doctor Akagi." With the last word, she pointed over to the bottle blond head of Project-E.

Upon seeing the doctor cringe, the other members of the command staff immediately paled at the thought, both those that had an idea of the destructive force, and those who saw how the others reacted. Akagi spoke up, "That kind of blast will kill you too!"

Landing hard in the center of the level both Ritsuko and Misato were standing on, the girl slid the maser back into the holster built into the positron charge pack. "Maybe. I don't have a lot to live for anyway, you know." With these words, the girl looked around at the faces staring at her. "Not since your commander…" she gestured to the upper deck, upon which was the as of yet silent Gendo Ikari. "Killed my father and destroyed my whole way of life. He drove me to this, all because of what a huge coward he is."

To punctuate her monologue, Mana kicked in her thrusters and jumped onto the upper level. Tearing the commander from his seat, finally startling the seemingly unshakeable man, Mana felt herself at the ends of her restraint. "Do you know who I am now, Ikari? I know who you are; I know a lot about who you are, Ikari."

"Little girl, you don't know who you're dealing with. Now, I suggest you run along home before you find yourself killed," was the cool and calm reply from the man dangling from the iron-clad warrior's grip.

Mana simply couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her face twisted with rage at this bastard, who could be so calm even in such a situation as this. Her restraint all but gone, she threw him down onto the lower level and leapt down after him, pausing in alarm as the Angel detection system in her suit went off.

"What the…?!" Mana spat. To her surprise, the scanners locked onto a now smirking Gendo Ikari's right hand.

The smirk faded when the blade shot forth from his attacker's wrist and impaled his right wrist to the floor. With a quick slash, the hand was removed entirely. As the man screamed out in pain at the rather crude amputation, Mana picked the severed appendage off of the ground, even as the guns of every armed member of the bridge crew were aimed at her.

Ignoring the 'threat' to her, Mana peeled the glove off of the hand and gasped as she saw the eye staring back at her. As if disbelieving what her sensors were showing her, she took off and dropped her helmet to stare at it with her own eyes. "What the hell…is this…Angel?"

Her curiosity getting the better of her, and only imagining what would have been on Gendo's hand that would make the armored girl _take her helmet off_ , Misato made her way down to that level. Ignoring her boss, she stepped over to the now revealed Mana Kirishima and looked at the hand… and felt her blood promptly run cold.

'_This feeling… it can't be!'_ Misato thought, her eyes now pulsating with emerald fury. All she could see as she looked at the thing was the nightmarish image that had haunted her for fifteen years. The image of four brilliant wings of destruction rising into the sky.

"Kill it!" Misato hissed with blinding hatred. "Kill it! _Kill that goddamned thing!!"_

Acting on impulse, Mana threw the hand into the air and took her maser from its holster. With a single low-powered shot, turning the hand and Angel within into so much dust.

In the confusion caused by the graphic display, nobody had noticed Gendo forcing himself back onto his feet, nor his drawing of a firearm. With a guttural cry, Gendo knocked Misato to the side, and took aim at Mana's forehead. "So it was you. As I had suspected," Gendo rasped, his agony clinging to every breath he took. "The daughter of one of the greatest minds of our time. It was a shame he had to go off on his own like that. But no matter; I'm closing off that loose end right now!"

Just as Gendo's finger tightened upon the trigger, just as Mana saw her short life flashing before her eyes, thinking of how cosmically unfair it was to have come so far, so close, only to have it end like this, a fist slammed into the side of his head. Gendo's eyes rolled up into their sockets, even as he fell to the floor in a crumpled heap.

All eyes turned to the man standing above the pile. Sub Commander Fuyutsuki managed a polite smile before shrugging. "I've wanted to do that for a very, very long time," he said in way of explanation before he turned to face Mana. "It's good to see you again after so long, Mana. Your father raised you well, I see."

Mana blinked and cocked her head in confusion. "H-how do you know me?"

* * *

SUSPENSE CLIFFHANGER!

I apollogise for being all *slow with updates*, life's been a tad interesting as of late, sorry for that!


	11. Revelations

With many apologies for the delay, and many thanks to OrionPax09, as always. I present chapter eleven.

* * *

"Sub Commander Fuyutsuki, would you please tell me _what the hell is going on here?!"_ Misato demanded forcefully as the old professor took command. The purple-haired woman completely blown away by the recent events, the anger and hatred she had felt only blossoming to new heights. "What was that thing on the Commander's hand?! And how do you know this girl?! And how – how -?!"

"I'll explain it all to you as soon as possible, Major. I promise you that," Fuyutsuki spoke tersely. The he looked down at the crumpled form of Gendo Ikari, and his expression hardened. "But right now, we have a lot to do, and very little time to do it in." Looking at Mana, he gave her a look befitting a loving grandfather. "Mana, I know this will be hard for you to do, but you're going to have to trust me."

"Trust you?" Mana repeated, her armor giving an involuntary shudder. Shaking her head quickly, she took a step towards the old man. "What are you talking about?! Who are you, anyway?!"

"It's a long story, and I'm afraid that I don't have the time to tell it right now," Fuyutsuki informed the girl. "For now, I need you to hide. We can't afford for anyone to know you're here right now." This said, the older man looked at Ritsuko. "Dr. Akagi, elevate Balthasar. Aoba, Hyuuga, help the young lady down below."

As stunned as Mana herself was, the techs looked wildly about for guidance, and eventually looked towards the Operations Director. Her features rife with confusion, Misato met their gazes, and finally looked at the old professor. "You better have a very good explanation for this, sir," was she said. Then she nodded at the techs, who quickly responded.

"I do," Fuyutsuki answered, even as Makoto and Shigeru moved to aide Mana. "Major, I need you to erase the records of everything that's happened on the bridge. As soon as Mana is hidden, alert Captain Chiron. Have him send a security detail and a medical team to the bridge." Turning to look at Ritsuko, the Sub Commander added, "We're only going to get one chance to make things right. We have to make it count."

"Yes, sir," Ritsuko nodded. The Head Scientist then carried out her orders, and elevated the MAGI.

Meanwhile, Mana was being escorted downstairs, her armor shuddering somewhat, becoming a bit sluggish. '_Damn! All those shocks and power surges must've disrupted the armor's circuitry!' _the girl thought unhappily as she recovered her helmet. _'I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It sure as hell explains why my armor didn't pick up that Angel or whatever the hell it was until I was right on top of it!'_

"Well…okay…here we go," Makoto got out as the odd threesome arrived at the MAGI, which was rising up to expose a maintenance hatch. As confused and out of his depths as a person could be, the Lieutenant eyed the girl. "Just…don't touch anything. Okay?"

At any other time, Mana would have been very annoyed by this warning. However, after being tortured and very nearly killed, only to find allies where she would have expected enemies. The man she had confronted and expected to have nothing but supporting troops had been betrayed by his second, the other people there were apparently helping, a situation that she was unable to comprehend was unfolding around her, and this total geek who could have been Kensuke's older brother was pleading for her to be a good little girl and not mess with the tech.

Life was completely insane. So insane that it was all Mana could do not to laugh. And had she been feeling a bit more energetic, she might have done so, anyway.

"Oh, and Mana?" came the warm, elderly voice. Looking up at the bridge, the girl saw the old man looking sadly down at her. "Just be quiet until we can get you out of there. There's a great deal that needs to be done."

"Now _that _I can believe," Mana returned gruffly. That said, she lowered herself to her knees and crawled into the inner workings of the techno-organic computer. To her surprise, the interior was plastered with Post-It notes with all kinds of technical scribbling on them.

'_Damn, look at all this!' _Mana thought wonderingly as she moved into the darkness. _'Sid would have a field day with it!'_

As soon as the girl was inside, the long-haired man who had helped her looked up. "She's in, sir!"

"Then lower Balthasar at once," the man in charge spoke commandingly. "Major? Contact Section Two now."

Though Mana couldn't understand much of what was going on, she was fully aware of a sudden lurch as Balthasar began to lower into the floor. Frowning as the darkness began to fill her view, the girl placed her helmet on her head. Too many questions that had no answers filling her mind, leaving her only one option.

"Computer, run diagnostic and self-repair routines," Mana commanded, her HUD providing her with light to work with.

If there was some form of treachery there, then she would be ready for it.

-

-

-

-

-

"Alright, Fuyutsuki. The Commander's just been carted off, I've just spent the past few minutes lying to Section Two, and I _still _don't know what the hell is going on here!" Misato growled, glaring fiercely at the old man. "Now, I want some answers! And I want them _right now!"_

"Not just yet," Fuyutsuki muttered somberly. "Major, as soon as possible, you have to locate Shinji and get him to Unit 01. Unless I'm mistaken, Mana has some friends out there, and we'll need to be able to contact them."

Gritting her teeth with frustration, Misato just stood there. "Not until you give me some idea of what's happening?! Who's that girl down there?! And how do you know here?! And _why in hell did Gendo have an Angel on his hand?!?!!"_

"That wasn't just any Angel, Misato," Ritsuko told her. When the Major looked at her, the doctor gave her a look of pure sorrow. "That was Adam. The First Angel."

Every eye fixed upon Ritsuko, with Misato's gaze being the most demanding of them all. The Major recalled the dread sensation she had felt upon seeing that horrid thing, a premonition that her best friend had just confirmed was true. "What…?"

"That is correct," Fuyutsuki intoned. "And as for the girl, she is the daughter of…an old friend of mine. And someone, I think, who can help us set things right."

"Set things right?" Maya asked blankly. Looking at her mentor, the young woman wore a forlorn expression. "Sempai?"

"Maya, I…" Ritsuko got out. Only to have her face fall in shame.

"There will be time enough for explanations later. For now, let us secure the bridge," Fuyutsuki ordered. "And somebody get Mana out of Balthasar. We're going to need her help as well."

"What are you talking about?!" Misato demanded. "Help with _what?!"_

"With putting an end to fifteen years of madness," Fuyutsuki intoned somberly. "Now please, find Shinji and get him to Unit-01. Once that's done…I'll explain all. To you…and to Mana."

Frowning disdainfully but seeing no way out of this, Misato did as she was instructed. Hoping against hope that she would not regret this.

-

-

-

"Where is she?" Sid asked impatiently. The two armored teens were hovering near the access shaft that would take them out of the Geofront and back into the city above. The place where they had intended to rendezvous with Mana before making their escape.

"Well…she's not here. So she must still be in there, right?" Touji responded plainly, his tone of voice conveying how obvious he felt the statement was.

If Sid's expression could have been seen through her helmet, it would have been enough to curdle water. "Thanks for that bit of wisdom, Captain Obvious! The question is, what do we do about it?"

"Slag the place until we find her!" Touji suggested determinedly, with a definite undertone of hope to his words.

"You ever have ideas that don't involve shooting things up?" the armor clad girl asked with an edge of humor in her voice.

"Not usually. Should I?" Touji deadpanned.

"Probably," Sid answered, thinking that calling Touji War Machine was accurate to the point of being scary. That observation out of the way, she checked the time on her HUD, noting that Mana was going on fifteen minutes late. "You know, if the world ends because we tore the place up as much as we have already, it's your fault."

"How the hell did you come up with _that_ idea?" Touji asked accusingly as he checked his own weapon charge levels, making sure if he went back in he'd have the guns to take care of business.

"Well, you _are_ the one that spot welded an Evangelion to the wall using a plasma-based weapon, aren't you?" Sid asked in way of explanation.

"Hey! You don't know the Devil the way I do! If I hadn't done that, she'd been in that Eva with guns blazing. Right at _us!"_ Touji shot back.

"There are better ways of doing things," Sid noted.

"Whatever. So what now? You wanna blow a new hole in there and go back in?" Touji asked, tired of waiting.

Sid was thinking on the suggestion when her HUD lit up red in warning, a thermal signature was being projected onto the two of them. "Contact, we're being painted!" she screamed before preparing a hard burn.

Before she could even move, however, Sid's suit beeped: "**Signal Detected"**

"_Hey, you two!" _came a familiar and welcome voice in the helmets of both teens._ "This is Mana! I'm okay, I think! It looks like I've found some friends. Well…sort of. Anyway, you can come on down!"_

Frozen with surprise, Sid looked about even as she traced the thermal signature. When she finally tracked it down, she gasped sharply, for standing below them was the most infamous Eva of them all. The purple behemoth known as Evangelion Unit-01. But instead of taking at them with a weapon, it was painting them with a point-to-point laser-based communication beam.

'_Which explains the communications link,' _Sid thought. The she frowned behind her helmet, thinking the situation through. Touji had been right about one thing; if the Evas started attacking them, things would be ugly. And Unit 01 was fully capable of attacking. The fact that it wasn't spoke a great deal about the situation. Still…

"Go home," Sid finally said, looking at her partner.

Touji looked back Sid like she had officially lost her digital mind. "What? No way! We still haven't found Mana, and…!"

"Please, just go home! You're not part of this, and after what we just did I don't think you want them knowing who you really are," Sid said plainly. Seeing the armored boy's hesitation, she maneuvered a bit closer to him and looked him squarely in his faceplates. "I'm not saying I'm not grateful. Because I am! Seriously, War Machine, I couldn't have done this without you! But…you're not a part of this like me and Mana are, you don't need to be putting yourself through this for us, okay? Besides, you still have a family to worry about, and if someone found out who you are…"

Sid could see her words reaching the boy beneath the heavy armor. She then smiled at him, the first person who had fought for Mana since the day this nightmare had started. "Please, just give us twenty-four hours. I promise you, we'll be back, and we'll tell you everything that's happened." When Touji didn't move, Sid smiled even more. "Besides…if something goes wrong, we need someone out there to tell the world the truth. And maybe blow this place to slag, just for good measure!"

More time passed, until the shoulders of the War Machine sagged beneath an invisible weight. While Sid almost laughed at the comic sight, Touji sighed dejectedly. "Alright, I'm going. But seriously, Sid! Twenty-four hours! And if I don't hear from you by then…!"

"Then NERV better have a couple N2s to throw at you, because you won't be stopping for anything less!" Sid joked. While Touji's male ego was somewhat soothed by this, she nodded at him. "Twenty-four hours. You got it."

Letting out a reluctant sigh, Touji nodded. "Alright, but take care, Sid," he finally said before turning away. Then, just as his jets were building up for a main burn, he looked over his shoulder at her. "And…tell Mana to take care of herself as well."

Hovering in mid-air, Sid watched as Touji disappeared up through the vent pipe. When he was finally gone, she looked down towards the purple Evangelion before flying down to it. _'This might prove to be quite interesting…'_

-

-

-

"I…don't…believe this…" the woman who had been introduced as Major Misato Katsuragi growled deep in her throat. Her expression that of an animal wounded just enough to make it truly dangerous.

Standing back from the NERV personnel, which consisted of the Fuyutsuki, Ritsuko, Misato, and the three techs, Mana found her gaze glued to the wrathful Major. _"I am so glad that it's not _me _she's mad at,' _the armor-user thought with ill-humor. _'I get the feeling I _really _wouldn't like her when she's mad at me!'_

While Mana was watching, taking in the various reactions the people there had to a story that she already knew some of, Misato was looking sickened by the two people at the center. A bit green around the gills, the Major ranted, "You're telling me that…that Gendo used _my father to cause Second Impact?!?!!_ And that he had Adam smuggled here, and – and – he had this girl's father killed to get the Valkyrie technology?!"

"Yes, Major. I'm afraid that is precisely what I'm telling you," Fuyutsuki confessed. His face seamed and lined with pure guilt. "And I'm also afraid that this is the least of what I do have to tell you."

"And you and Ritsuko…you were in on this whole thing?!" Misato growled savagely. "You were part of this _the entire time?!"_

"Yes, Misato," Ritsuko confessed miserably, seeming to be weighed down by chains made of her own sins.

"I don't believe this…" Maya whimpered. Gazing in horror at her mentor. "Sempai…how could you…?"

"Because she's an evil bitch?" Mana suggested, giving a glacial look at the scientist.

Ritsuko didn't say anything to protest this. She simply stood there, while Fuyutsuki looked sadly at the armored girl. "There are times that I wish it were that simple, Mana. That someone could just paint an indisputable line between good and evil and that would be that," the old man explained. Then he narrowed his eyes somewhat. "Unfortunately, the world we live in is not painted exclusively in black and white."

"Says the man that's just admitted to helping Gendo with all this," Misato growled deep within her throat.

"That's true. I don't deny it," Fuyutsuki intoned. "And I don't deny that there have been others. Other brave souls who have learned of this madness and tried to end it, while we did nothing." Looking sadly at Misato, he added, "And Dr. Akagi and I witnessed their remains, Major, once Gendo learned of their actions." When Misato and the others froze, Fuyutsuki once again looked at Mana. "In fact, to my knowledge, there was only one man, armed only with suspicions and a keen scientific mind, who actually succeeded in leaving NERV alive, and in a position that would enable him – or his daughter – to act."

Blinking rapidly, Mana stared at the old man. "You mean…my father?"

"Yes. Dr. Hiro Kirishima," Fuyutsuki returned. Then the past was visible within the old man's eyes. "I still remember the one time he brought you to the base, Mana. You were so tiny…"

Blinking in confusion, Mana was about to say something in response when a familiar roar reached her ears. Looking about, she saw the Trident armor coming crashing through the upper ventilation shaft, and come to a graceful landing on the bridge.

"Okay, here I am, Mana!" Sid cried out as she removed her helmet. "Now, what's going on? And why did I have to take the long way here?! Those ventilation ducts are gross!"

"There's quite a bit going on, Sid," Mana replied, only to frown. "Where's T- I mean, War Machine?"

"I had him leave," Sid explained. The cyber-girl then cast a dangerous look at the NERV personnel. "I thought it might be a good idea to have him someplace safe."

"A reserve, in case we decided to try something…untoward," Fuyutsuki smiled somberly. Then he cocked his head wonderingly at Sid. "And who might this young lady be? She looks like she could be your sister."

"She is…sort of," Mana said. Then she smiled wryly at the old man. "It's a long story. One that can wait until you're done with yours."

"Fair enough," Fuyutsuki replied. "I'll let you brief your friend on what I've already told you. There's still a great deal that needs to be explained."

"Yeah, like how the Commander got hold of the First Angel, what did he plan to do with it, and just how many other people are in on this?!" Misato demanded crossly.

"Then give me a chance to tell you, Major," Fuyutsuki murmured softly. And tell them he did. He told them of the Instrumentality Committee, and the plans they had crafted based on the Dead Sea Scrolls. Of the cruelties he and Ritsuko had forced to witness, even participate in, the threat of torture and death always an order from Gendo away.

By the time Fuyutsuki was done with his tale, every person on the bridge was shaken to the core, even Mana and Sid themselves. "Oh, God…" Mana murmured, as pale as sheet. "Dad…he was worried about NERV, but this…"

"The Committee…is trying to bring about _the end of the world?" _Sid gulped out. Looking like she was about to be sick, something Mana had in common.

"Yes…and no," Fuyutsuki smiled miserably. "To their minds, the end of this world would result in the joy of rebirth. The end of misery, loneliness, sickness, and death. Immortality and happiness in the union of every living soul on the planet, joined forever within the Angel known…as Lilith."

"They're actually planning on merging us all with _an Angel?!!?!" _Misato roared hatefully. "And you two -?!"

"Misato, please," Ritsuko muttered with such misery that it was impossible to miss. "You can't say anything or call us things that we have already done to ourselves every single day for years now." Her eyes welling up with tears, the doctor added, "I can't tell you the number of times I went to bed, praying that I would never wake up in the morning. That I would die and not have to go through with pretending that what I was doing…didn't matter. Not have to tell myself that there was nothing I could do…except survive."

"Our only hope, the only thing we had left, was that something would go wrong with Ikari and SEELE's plans," Fuyutsuki told the Major. Casting a glance at Mana and Sid, he smiled wearily. "And it would seem that something has."

Frowning perplexedly, Maya asked, "Then…it's over?"

"Over?" Ritsuko repeated with ill-concealed bitterness. "Maya, it's only just begun."

"Indeed," Fuyutsuki agreed. "Even though Adam was destroyed, it's theoretically possible to use an Evangelion cloned from the First Angel and fitted with an S2 Engine as a substitute. And if SEELE realizes that Ikari has been deposed, then there's no telling what they'll do in order to take control of NERV."

"Like what?" Makoto wondered, holding up his hands helplessly. "Drop an N2 mine on the base?"

"SEELE and the Instrumentality Committee have ties and allies throughout the UN, and even the JSSDF," Fuyutsuki explained somberly. "And if they think that bombing Tokyo-3 out of existence is the only way to regain control of NERV, then they'll do it. Mark my words, they will."

"Then we have to put an end to their plans. Right now," Misato declared forcefully. "By destroying Lilith!"

"I'm afraid it is not nearly that simple," Fuyutsuki informed them. "Again, it is theoretically possible to use an Eva, this time cloned from Lilith, and fitted with an S2 Engine as a substitute. And even if Lilith's destruction would suffice, we still couldn't do it."

"Why not?!" Mana demanded, accusing the old man of cowardice with her gaze.

"Because of the remaining Angels, Mana," Fuyutsuki responded. "Lilith's power is equal to that of Adam, and it is that power that has lured all the previous Angels here. To this city, where they could be destroyed."

Frowning as she thought the matter through, Misato finally gasped. "Then…if we destroy Lilith…"

"Then the remaining Angels will march across the globe, destroying all that lay in their paths," Fuyutsuki told them. Letting the silence paint the resulting destruction for them.

"Then we'll just have to send our available information to the UN," Misato tried again.

"Unfortunately, all of NERV's communications are monitored by the MAGI of the other NERV bases. SEELE would be alerted to our actions the moment we tipped our hand. And if the JSSDF strike, then all of the people of Tokyo-3 would be wiped out," Fuyutsuki answered. Shaking his head, the old professor went on. "No. Our only chance is to try and have our doctors fake Ikari's demise. Once that is done, then we might be able to build up our defenses, and slowly evacuate the civilian population over time. Maybe even find allies we can safely trust to help us disseminate SEELE's scenario."

Frowning in thought, Mana considered the old man's arguments, and found that each and every one of them made sense. And while she still wasn't sure that she trusted these people, the fact that Fuyutsuki had saved her life gave her the courage to speak her mind.

"Actually…there might be a better way to cover our butts," Mana spoke, her idea taking greater form.

-

-

-

'_This sucks!' _Touji thought as he paced about his room. His eyes constantly darting from the clock next to his bed to the collapsed armor that lay on the floor, tucked so that it couldn't be seen if his father came to check on him. All the while waiting for either a reassuring call, or the twenty-four hours to expire. The latter seeming more likely with each passing moment.

'_I never should have run out on them!' _Touji scolded himself. _'Sure, the Devil was out of action, but what about Rei. And Shinji…aw, man! Mana! Why do you have to be so tough, anyway?!'_

While Touji was giving serious consideration to forgetting how to tell time, he was jolted out of his skin by a beeping coming from the collapsed War Machine armor. Caught between hoping that everything was alright and that Mana needed him to come, the jock sought out the exposed button on the armor and pressed it.

To his relief, Mana's image appeared, a tiny hologram of the girl's face. _"Hey, there, War Machine!" _Mana grinned, winking playfully at him.

"Mana!" Touji cried out, almost fainting with relief. "I thought something had happened to you!"

"_Something _has _happened. A lot more than I could have imagined, including some stuff that I can't tell you right now,"_ Mana told him, her expression fully serious. _"I just wanted you to know that everything's okay, and I'll be talking to you as soon as possible."_

"What?" Touji replied, disappointed. "You can't…?"

Frowning sadly as the boy trailed off, Mana answered, _"I'm sorry, but there are a lot of things that I have to do right now." _Sighing sadly, she looked at Touji for a time before adding, _"But…I just wanted you to know that…I will see you again as soon as possible. And…thanks for everything…War Machine."_

Pausing to give him one final, longing look, Mana then disappeared from Touji's view. Leaving him emptier and fearing for her than he had been before.

-

-

-

-

Misato was sick. Sick to her heart, her very soul, as she waited alongside of Mana in her office. Barely able to hold up beneath all the horrors she had learned of that day. Barely stifling the shuddering of her body, she stood in her office, hoping that the familiar setting would help her stay strong. At least long enough to do what she had to do.

Wanting more than ever to go off to some bar and drink herself stupid, Misato was taken by surprise when Mana spoke. "Are you alright?"

Practically jumping out of her skin, Misato looked down at the girl, who was still clad in her gold-and-crimson armor. "No, I'm not," Misato answered in all honesty. "But I still have to do this, don't I?"

Frowning slightly, Mana just studied the Major. "You didn't know about this. Did you?"

"No," Misato answered, even though she knew from Mana's words that this was not a question. "I know it doesn't mean much, not after all this, but…if I had known, I…"

"I understand," Mana got out. Her rage and fury having been used up in battle, her emotions sent all over the place by hearing of SEELE's plans, of just how deep those horrors ran.

'_If it weren't for my armor, I'm not sure I'd even be able to stand right now,'_ Mana thought miserably. The weight of the pain she had seen like nothing she could have imagined.

The two women waited there, waiting until the door of Misato's office opened, revealing three children. "Uh, Misato?" came Shinji's nervous voice. "You wanted to -?"

"_Mein Gott! _It's _her!!" _Asuka shrieked, pointing at Mana as her blue eyes spat fire. "Say your prayers, bitch, because _you're dead!!"_

"Asuka, stop that right this instant," Misato growled, her pain turning to anger and unspent frustration.

Staring incredulously at Misato, Asuka stopped and sputtered for a few minutes. Shinji and Rei standing frozen as they tried to figure out what was going on. "But…that bitch…and did you see what that other thing did to my -?!"

"Asuka, please! Not now!" Misato got out, looking as if she was about to collapse beneath tears that seemed inevitable. Taking a few quick breaths, the Major just stood there, her fists trembling as if they wanted to smash something. Anything.

Even as Mana felt suffocated by the resulting silence, a voice broke it. "You," Rei spoke, eyeing the armored superwoman. "You're Mana Kirishima."

The other two pilots quickly looked at Rei before staring at Mana. "Hey…Ayanami's right!" Shinji got out. "Wh-what are you…how did you…huh?"

"I don't care _who _she is!!" Asuka snarled. "All I want to know is where the hell that other armored freak is! That stupid jerk _screwed up my Eva, _and -!"

"Asuka, stop it!" Misato cried out, once again brought to her emotional limits. Closing her eyes, she seemed to count to ten before opening them again. "A lot has been happening lately. But…there are some things you have to know. For starters, Mana is going to be working with us from now on."

Three different expressions of shock were the result of Misato's words. _"Whaaaat?!?!!" _Asuka bellowed, practically exploding in flame. "You've got to be kidding me!! There's no way _in Hell _that I'd ever work with that goddamned whore!!"

"You _will _be working with her, Asuka," Misato declared, leaving no room for misinterpretation. When the German tried to speak again, the Major fixed a deadly gaze upon her, one that shut her up with minimal resistance.

Frowning as Asuka stood there, gnashing her teeth, Shinji finally looked at his guardian. "Um…Misato?" he asked softly. "What's…going on here?"

"A lot. A lot that I…have to explain," Misato answered, slowly approaching the three children. The knowledge she now had making every step a torturous one.

Looking at the three faces, Misato paused, wanting nothing more than to run away and hide, to cry and cry and cry until she had no tears left to her. The fact that she had volunteered to tell the truth doing nothing to soothe her.

'_I have to do this. Shinji and Asuka…they're my responsibility,'_ Misato reminded herself. But even so, she didn't know how to say it. How to say to him that his father had been working for over ten years to make his own son so miserable and hopeless that he wanted nothing more to than to die. How to tell her that her mother's madness and eventual death were all planned by NERV, to make her into the perfect willing pawn for their cruelties.

Even Rei, even the girl whom she had learned was created by Gendo himself…how could Misato tell her that Gendo intended for her to die at the hands of the Angels? To die and be reborn as an Angel herself, just to die again? That every part of her life had been shaped to make her into a puppet that danced with a single order from her creator, who cared nothing for her personally?

The weight of the task she had set for herself overwhelming her entirely, Misato fell to her knees and wrapped her arms about the three children. Feeling their confusion as she let her tears overwhelm her at last.

-

-

-

-

A week. That was how long Gendo had been confined to the depths of NERV's holding cells, with only the occasional meal and constant darkness to occupy him. That and the pain he still felt in the stump where his right hand had been, as well as the malice he felt for the girl responsible.

'_Kirishima…' _he hissed in his mind, images of both father and daughter flashing before him. _'This is not the end. I will not let it end this way…'_

This was not the first time Gendo had thought these things, and he knew it wouldn't be the last. But this time, as if response to his curses, a light appeared within the hall that led to his cell. Looking up, he saw two figures approaching him, but he couldn't make them out in the sudden light.

"Hello, Ikari," came the familiar voice of Fuyutsuki.

"Sensei," Gendo responded, letting no emotion show as his eyes adjusted. Enough to see who the other visitor was. "Kirishima."

Mana didn't say anything. She just stood there, looking at Gendo as if he were something she had just scraped off her armored boot.

"Don't fool yourself into thinking you've won, girl," Gendo spoke, his tone overflowing with menace. "After all, do you think I got to my position without allies?"

"Yeah, sure," Mana growled disdainfully. Then she gave the former Commander and evil smile. "And if they're anything like him and Akagi, they'll be thrilled to pieces to hear that they won't have to deal with you anymore."

"You sinful little girl…you think you can stop the cleansing of this world?" Gendo asked rhetorically, his glasses reflecting his cruelty. "Even if I fail, there are others out there. Others who will seize control of this place the instant they learn of my…situation." Then he leaned forward, looking at her as if she were a gnat. "That is…if they haven't already."

"They haven't," Fuyutsuki stated flatly. "And they aren't going to, either."

A low chuckle echoing in his throat, Gendo eyed his former student. "Even now, sensei, you still haven't learned," the deposed monster smiled, exuding power and control. "You can't stop it. You can't even slow it down. The end will come…and in one form or another, Instrumentality will proceed." Letting these words sink in for a moment, Gendo lowered his gaze. "I look forward to seeing my Yui again…"

"And there's something you still haven't learned, Ikari. Something I'd almost forgotten," Fuyutsuki countered. "That humans aren't the sinful monsters you make them out to be, and sometimes…just sometimes…they can make miracles happen. Like Mana herself has." Then the old professor smiled deviously. "In fact…you're about to see one of those miracles right now."

"That's right, you monster," Mana smirked. Then she looked off towards the door and cooed, "Oh, Tai? You're on!"

"Coming," came an oddly familiar voice. One that had Gendo sit up in surprise as a third figure appeared.

It was a man, that much Gendo was certain of. But the way he was dressed, his voice, everything about it was so…familiar, yet confusing, all the same.

"SEELE is not going to find out about your fate, Ikari," Fuyutsuki smiled wickedly. "Because, as you can see…you've just been replaced."

"Hello, there!" the newcomer said. "Boy, looking at you, I can't believe this body was actually based on yours! Nice face, by the way!"

Gendo's jaw practically hit the floor as he stared at the man before him. A man who, aside from having both hands and a laughing smile, was Gendo's mirror image. "What the…?!"

"And aren't we the silver-tongued devil, hmm?" the duplicate smirked. "Makes me glad my personality was programmed by people who actually have intact hearts and souls!"

"Meet TAI. Short for Tactical Artificial Intelligence," Mana explained, gesturing at the copy of Gendo who was still smiling broadly. "He's an AI based off of Sid's design, and his body was cloned from your DNA."

Recovering, Gendo stared daggers at Mana. "And you expect this…thing…to fool Keel and the rest of SEELE into thinking that…it is I?"

"Why not? After all, what else can they believe?" Fuyutsuki asked, smiling as well. "In any case, Akagi and I will be coaching Tai, showing him recordings of meetings you have attended. Helping him to act exactly as you would."

"At least when I'm dealing with SEELE. Though I get the feeling I'll be needing a _lot _of showers!" Tai grinned. Shuddering, he added, "Ew! Just the thought of that makes me all…slimy!"

"You will never get away with this, you fools," Gendo growled beneath his breath. "This…thing…will be discovered in no time! And then -!"

"And then nothing," Fuyutsuki countered instantly. "I can't live with this any longer, Ikari. I'm tired of the lies and the cruelties. Now more than ever, I want them to end." Placing his hand on Mana's shoulder, he added, "And now that my faith in Hiro Kirishima has been rewarded…I will do everything in my power to see that they do."

It took several seconds for the meaning of Fuyutsuki's words to register with Gendo, but when they did, the deposed tyrant stared hatefully at his former teacher. "You?" he gasped out. "You…hid him from me?!"

"In a sense. I made sure that the reports you received regarding his work were out of date. Hoping you would think him to be no threat until he was in a position to do something to end this madness," Fuyutsuki explained, seeming to enjoy his former student's powerlessness. "I'm only sorry I could do nothing to prevent his death." Looking more serious, the old professor stared at his former student. "This is why I will do everything in my power to insure this girl's safety. And her father's legacy."

"Besides, considering how little you actually do around this base, I'm pretty sure I can pull it off! Heck, I'll probably be a better you than you ever were!" Tai added gloatingly. "Let's see…there's looking evil while sitting around in my new office…I'm pretty sure I can do that right now," Tai started, motioning his hands like he was counting off his fingers. "There's being a father to Shinji – something I _know _I'd do better at – then there are those meetings with the Committee…"

"Something which I'll be there to assist you with, just in case," Fuyutsuki reminded the duplicate.

"Right, so that shouldn't be any problem," Tai nodded. Then his face lit up in delight. "Oh, and then there's boinking Ritsuko!" While Gendo was staring at his doppelganger with steadily increasing horror, Tai rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Boy, I'm certainly looking forward to _that _part of the job!"

"What?" Gendo squeaked out.

"Well, why not? A looker like that was _totally _wasted on you, you heartless creep!" Tai informed him. "Besides, I've been doing some investigating on the internet, and I've already downloaded at least one hundred and fifty positions to try out on her! Should be some fun!"

"You…you're actually…attracted…to that _hag?!" _Gendo demanded.

"Hag! Are we even talking about the same woman?" Tai demanded. Then he gave a puzzled look at Fuyutsuki. "How'd this lowlife ever managed to get married in the first place?"

"Things were…very different back then," Fuyutsuki admitted. "And Yui…was a remarkable woman."

"Remarkable? For putting up with this jerk and bearing his child, she should probably be nominated for sainthood!" Tai exclaimed, shrugging helplessly.

While Gendo was staring helplessly at the interplay between his former teacher and his double, Mana was grinning wickedly. "So how's it feel, huh?" she demanded, reveling in this moment she had been looking forward to for what felt like an eternity. "Having everything you'd worked for, everything in your life taken away from you? All your hopes and dreams and plans for the future, all of it, gone in an instant?" she asked. When Gendo looked at her helplessly, Mana snarled, "That's what you did to me, and its hell. Make no mistake about it."

Smiling even more cruelly, Mana leaned in closer at NERV's former master. "The only difference is…I've found people who want to help me hope again. Something you'll never have. Never."

As these words hit home, Mana watched as Gendo looked about once more, looked at the stump where the key to all his dreams once was, before sucking in a desperate breath.

At that moment, all across Tokyo-3, people could have sworn they heard a tormented cry echoing helplessly across the streets…


	12. Return To Normal::Angel Invasion

With all thanks to OrionPax09, presenting chapter twelve.

* * *

"Hey, Mana!"

"Huh?" Mana got out as she looked up from her seat, only to smile in relief as she realized who had called out to her. "Oh, Touji. It's you."

"And what am I? Invisible?" Kensuke wondered, giving her a wounded look as he came up from behind his jock friend.

"No, of course not, Kensuke," Mana smiled wearily. Watching as her closest friends in the world sat down next to her, she shook her head before explaining, "I'm sorry. I've…been a bit out of it, that's all."

"That's one way of putting it!" Touji muttered. "You've barely managed to get to school once a week for the past month or so, and when you _are _here, you hardly talk to anyone! Including us!"

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, you two," Mana told them in all honesty. Sparing a glance at her surroundings, she felt the urge to sigh, for the very normalcy of her present surroundings felt unreal to her. Especially given the very unreal situation she was now embroiled in. "It's just…things have been pretty crazy lately. I barely have any time to even catch my breath."

Frowning worriedly, Touji leaned in closer towards the armor-wielder. "What is it, Mana?" he asked, looking deeply into her eyes. "Is something bad going down at NERV?"

"Does it have anything to do with Shinji and the girls?" Kensuke wondered, jerking his thumb in the general direction of the Pilots. "I mean, Rei is a bit quieter than usual, but…"

"But Shin-man and the Devil have been walking around, looking an Angel stomped them both!" Touji stated.

Pinching her lips together, Mana lowered her head as if searching for a hole to dive into. "Well…if it's them you're worried about…"

"I'm worried about all of you," Touji informed her. "And just so you know, I _have _tried asking Shinji about it. And every time I do, he looks like the only thing he wants to do is crawl under a rock and die!"

'_I can't say I'm surprised,' _Mana thought at this, thinking of the true nature of the horrors she had discovered in the depth of NERV. _'My father was always busy, but at least I knew he cared about me. But…Gendo…what he did to Shinji…was planning for the entire world…'_

"I'm sorry, Touji," Mana told him earnestly. "But…there's not a lot I can tell you right now."

"Can't or won't?" Touji demanded. When Mana sighed unhappily, the jock leaned closer to her. "C'mon, Mana! I want to help you, but I can't if you don't tell me what's wrong!"

Looking at Touji and Kensuke, who was making noises of agreement with his friend, Mana smiled at them both. "Thanks, you two. I really appreciate it. And trust me, if I ever need your help, I promise I'll ask," she told them earnestly. "But…it's better for you if you don't know everything that's going on down at NERV."

"Why's that?" Kensuke asked sarcastically. "What, you think we'll get nightmares?"

"It's possible," Mana admitted. Every inch of the horror she felt at hearing the full plans of SEELE forever marked within her mind. Horror that followed her every moment she was awake, and into the night as well. "I know that's what I've been having for the past few weeks," she told them. When the faces of the boys became drawn with confusion and a bit of fear, she looked over at where Shinji and Asuka sat. Misery clinging to them like a cloud of doom.

"And I'll bet that's what they've been having, as well," Mana stated firmly.

-

-

-

Several hours later, Mana found herself once again in the depths of NERV. Doing a final systems check on the new support equipment being developed for their new defenders.

'_If someone had told me that I'd be working to upgrade _NERV's _defenses back when this all started, I'd have laughed my ass off,' _Mana thought with a hint of amusement. Her ears pricking at the labors being conducted by the others present.

Swiveling about in her chair, NERV's Head Scientist turned to look over at Mana. "So, how's this look?" Ritsuko asked as she cocked her head at the computer screen. Even as she continued to type in commands at a speed that was dizzying to the normal human eye.

Craning her neck to look over Ritsuko's shoulder, Mana quickly studied the result of her labors, before giving a quick nod. "Whew. You're good," she admitted. "Guess you didn't make Head Scientist for nothing, huh?"

"Of course not!" Maya grinned from where she was working. "Sempai's the master!"

Turning to look over at her understudy, Ritsuko smiled with saddened fondness at the younger woman. "I appreciate that, Maya," she finally told her. Then she returned her attention to the auburn-haired girl. "So much longer will this take?"

"We're almost done," Mana replied as she returned her attention to the station where she was working. "The maintenance and control systems are all online, and Sid's overseeing the final stages of construction down in the bays. As soon as we finish up the combat protocols for the Guardsmen, and be good to go."

"Glad to hear it. My shoulders are killing me!" Maya announced, leaning back in her seat.

Casting a glance over at the tech, Mana smiled as she got to her feet. The various servos and mechanisms of her armor the only noise she made as she moved. "Tell you what," she said as she moved towards the door. "I'll go down and help Sid with the final activation protocols. And when we're done, we'll give you the word so you can do that…whatever it was that you had planned for today."

"The data collection for the Dummy System," Ritsuko mentioned as Mana slid her helmet in place. "Right. Just let us know when you're ready, and we'll take it from there."

"Good," Iron Maiden spoke, her voice electronically distorted. "The sooner the Guardsmen are on online, the better."

Once the armored superwoman departed, Maya turned and raised a questioning eyebrow at her mentor. "Sempai…why does Mana wear her armor all the time down here? It must be pretty uncomfortable."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Ritsuko replied. When Maya frowned, the doctor smiled knowingly. "I had a chance to look at her armor technology, remember? An earlier version, sure, but still pretty advanced. And the inside of that armor is actually rather comfortable. Like a second skin."

"Really?" Maya asked.

"And remember, we want to keep the number of people who know Mana's working with us now to a minimum," Ritsuko commented as she continued to work. "Even though her interaction with the people here on base is minimal, we can't take any chances. We can't let anybody else know it's _her _beneath that armor. Mana's already lost too much. The last thing we want to do is to cause her any more pain."

"Sempai…" Maya murmured. "Please, stop blaming yourself for…for all of…"

"I'm sorry, Maya, but I can't do that," Ritsuko answered. Turning to look at her friend, the scientist wore all the guilt that had been accumulating within her soul for the past several years. "I can't do that. Not right now." Returning to her work, Ritsuko felt her face twist with bitterness. At the accusing gazes she had felt from Misato, and even the Children since that horrible day of revelations. "And after everything that I've done…that I've been a part of…I honestly don't think I ever will."

-

-

-

"So, Sid, are we all set?" Mana asked as she appeared in the converted storage facility. A storage facility that was now equipped with some of the most advanced technology the world had ever seen, all of it dedicated to the purpose of defending NERV.

"We're good to go, Mana," Sid answered, her expression terse as she studied the terminal before her. At the thousand green, metallic figures standing before her. "The Guardsmen are fully functional and ready to go. All we have to do is initiate the startup sequence, and they'll be online."

"Great work, Sid," Mana responded as she sidled up to the terminal and studied the armored drones.

"Mana, are you sure this is a good idea?" Sid wondered, her own armor unable to hide her fear. "After everything NERV has done to us, to the world…and after they sicced those Valkyries on you, me, and War Machine…"

"I know what you're saying, Sid, but it's a lot more complicated than just that," Mana returned as she began inputting the final command sequence. "IF SEELE has so much pull around the UN, then they can do just about anything they want to initiate Third Impact. And we know Fuyutsuki and Akagi were telling the truth about that much."

"Yeah, you're right about," Sid admitted. The fact that they had given the two of them complete access to the MAGI files was proof of that. "It's just…it's hard to accept that they would jump ship on Gendo so easily!"

"I agree. Which is why we've built dozens of failsafes into the Guardsmen," Mana reminded her friend. "And why my suit contains a kill switch for them if they are being used improperly." Then she smiled at her AI-gone-flesh companion with a shrug of her shoulders. Besides, we've already made sure that can't happen anyway. Only two people on this entire base can give orders to them, and one of those people is me."

Sid still wasn't satisfied. "Yeah, but with the Guardsmen being tied into the MAGI system, they could just override the control codes in the base computer! At which point they could use them against us! Honestly, I don't think you should be so trusting!"

"Look, Sid, I know you're apprehensive about this, but… look, I haven't had a chance to slow down in weeks," Mana got out, sagging within her armor. "Sometimes it feels like I've been working in overdrive since Dad…and besides, we haven't eaten this good since he…" The words coming only with extreme difficulty, Mana tried to focus elsewhere. "Besides, they're being good to us. And it's not like they were _all _in on it!"

"Good point," Sid admitted. "When I saw the look on the Major's face, I thought she was rip those two apart with her bare hands!"

'_And the way she cried over the children…'_ Mana thought. Recalling how Misato had completely broken down in the midst of telling the truth to Shinji and the others. Of the pain that was evident in the woman as she showed them the files, the proof of Gendo's evil. Everything.

"In any case, it's not like we're not getting anything out of this arrangement," Mana reminded her friend. "And we have to do _something _to make sure this Instrumentality thing doesn't happen." The she put a cocky look on her face. "Besides, even if they used the Guardsmen against us…our armors are better, and I slipped in some special weapons that can fry them instantly, if we have to."

Sid gave her a look that conveyed the feeling that she didn't believe it would be so simple. "Okay, if you say so," the AI grumbled. "But if this blows up in our faces, I'm gonna say I told you so. You know that, right?"

"Wouldn't expect any less, Sid," Mana murmured as she inputted final activation sequence. At the moment, the entire room filled with an electronic hum as a thousand separate arc reactors came online, and the eyes of every Guardsman there lit up…

-

-

-

"Well, so far, everything seems to be holding steady," Fuyutsuki smirked. "No one suspected Tai at the Committee meeting."

"Hey, I didn't watch all those videos of His Bastardness being disgusting for nothing!" Tai commented. Being completely un-Gendo-like as he draped his heels on top of the former Commander's desk. "I could act like him in my sleep now. Not that I'd ever want to!"

Standing before the two of them, Iron Maiden found herself grateful for the concealing faceplate of her helmet. On the one hand, she was thoroughly repulsed by the body the new cyber-clone wore. But Tai's normal mannerisms were so boyish, and often comical, that she was sorely tempted to laugh at him when he was being casual, such as he was now.

"Of course, having Fuyutsuki there as well helped," Tai admitted. With a definite grimace, he looked at the old professor. "How can you stomach looking at those evil mummies? I felt like I was going to suffocate, just breathing the same air as them!"

"I often felt the same way," Fuyutsuki admitted. Then he frowned mildly. "Still, I didn't like the look on Keel's face. He kept…staring at Tai. I don't think he suspects him. Not really. But things have never been particularly cordial between Ikari and the Committee."

"I understand that completely," Iron Maiden stated firmly. "And that's why we _need_ to be ready. This facility _needs_ some kind of anti-personnel defenses, and some kind of mandatory self defense training. At least!"

"I know what you mean. Unfortunately, we have to move slowly for now. Lest we provoke the sort of reaction we have to avoid," Fuyutsuki sighed. "For the moment, we'll just have to rely on the Evangelions, and the Guardsmen you've so graciously provided, for our defense."

Iron Maiden paced the office, her posture showing her displeasure, "You and I both know it would be nearly impossible to leverage the Evangelions against an invading army. In terms of pure power, sure, it seems logical. But it's like trying to use a cannon to kill a horde of angry bees! Even if you've got the power to take them all on, you can't hit them all at once. And as for the Guardsmen, they can't be everywhere at once!" Coming up to the desk, she placed her armored hands upon the surface. "This place is still vulnerable to a full-scale attack, and you both know it."

Looking from Iron Maiden to the professor, Tai smiled helplessly. "Sorry, Fuyutsuki, but I'm with her on this one. After all, I _am _a tactical AI, and I say this place is seriously vulnerable! Especially if the bad guys decide to get nasty with an N2!"

"I am aware of this," Fuyutsuki muttered somberly. "But as I said before, we have to move slowly." Before either of them could say anything further, he held up his hands. "I'll talk to Major Katsuragi about such precautions later. For now, I'd like to get to the bridge. We're conducting an experiment in the pribnow box, and I wish to be able to oversee it."

"Oh, right! I almost forgot about that!" Tai grinned. Then he leaned back, a dreamy look in his eyes. "I sure hope Ritsuko will be…available afterwards! Damn, that woman is a like a wild animal when she gets in the sack! She just keeps going for hours on end!"

While Fuyutsuki visibly winced, Iron Maiden was groaning beneath her breath. _'I've created a sex monster…'_

-

-

-

-

"_What?!_" Asuka screamed hatefully."You want me to take my clothes off _again?!"_

"The next chamber is an ultra-clean room environment," Ritsuko responded. "Just taking a shower and changing your undergarments just isn't enough!"

"Oh, of course you'd say that! What else can we expect from the Commander's personal whore than a load of evil bull!" Asuka snarled.

"Asuka…" Shinji murmured unhappily. Wishing he could do something to console the redhead. Only to find that there was nothing he could think of that help comfort Asuka…or himself.

"Pilot Sohryu, please," Rei murmured gently. "Your argumentative tendencies are not helpful."

"Oh, sure, take her side, why don't you?!" Asuka sneered. "After all, the filthy old hag is practically your mother!"

"Old hag?!" Ritsuko squawked indignantly over the intercom.

"That's right, old hag!" Asuka cried out indignantly. "Chainsmoking slut! Phony-blonde bitch! Whipped dog for -!"

"Asuka, just stop it!" Misato shouted. There was a blessed moment of silence before the Major spoke again. "Alright, that does it. Just get dressed and head to the cafeteria. We'll try this again tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!" Ritsuko cried out indignantly. "Misato, what are you saying?! We can't just abort the test!"

"We're not aborting it!" Misato retorted. "We're just going to put it off until everybody's simmered down a bit." Shinji waited for a time, waited for Ritsuko to say something in return. But she didn't. Instead, Misato once again spoke. "Alright, kids. You heard me. We'll try this again tomorrow."

"Hmph! In your dreams!" Asuka sneered.

-

-

-

"Alright, Misato," Ritsuko muttered as she eyed her friend. "Would you mind telling me why you just took an entire day's preparation and flushed it down the drain?"

"Oh, I'll be more than happy to, Ritsuko," Misato returned, unable to keep the hostility from her voice. "But not here. Follow me."

Not waiting for Ritsuko to say anything to the contrary, Misato turned about on her heel and left the analysis room. Fully aware that Maya and every other technician gathered there was looking at her and the doctor.

She didn't give a shit. She didn't give a shit about Ritsuko's objections, or all the hard work that had been put into the Dummy System. All Misato really cared about the weeks of hell that had passed in her home since that cursed day of revelations. The day she had been told to her face that Second Impact had been intentional, and major players across the world were working to bring about the end of the world, and that she had been helping them. That the children whom she cared for had been sculpted for the express purpose of insuring the end of the entire planet.

As Misato strode down the hallway, with Ritsuko following silently, the Major was looking about. Then she spotted a women's restroom, and nodded to herself. "In here," she muttered, not waiting for any objection. Practically smashed the door in, Misato instantly began surveying the interior. There was no one in sight, but she wasn't in the mood to trust first impressions.

While Misato set about checking the stalls for any incidental eavesdroppers, Ritsuko entered as well. "I see," the doctor murmured, smiling sadly at her friend. "So, I take it you're about to say whatever you've been bottling up these past few weeks?"

Irritation creasing her face, Misato gave a final check of the stalls, making certain that she and the scientist were alone. "Look, Ritsuko, you told me about what Gendo did, how he basically forced you and Fuyutsuki to go along with his plans," the Major grumbled, folding her arms across her chest. "And I can accept that, dammit!"

"Really, Misato?" Ritsuko wondered. "Really and truly?"

Snorting at this question, at the pain lacing it, Misato shook her head somberly. "It's not like I'm totally innocent in this, either," she muttered. Thinking of her reasons for making sure the Children got into their Evas and fought the good fight. "And given what you've told me about Gendo and SEELE…then I guess I can understand why you didn't do anything."

"Then…what is this about?" Ritsuko asked, genuinely puzzled.

"This about you, and the children, and everybody else who's been hurt because of this. Including me," Misato informed her. Shaking her head miserably, the Major looked about the ladies' room as if looking for the right thing to say before it finally boiled out of her. "I mean…you weren't there when I told them about what Gendo had done! When I showed Shinji and Asuka the files Gendo had made about them!"

"I see," Ritsuko murmured.

"No, I don't think you do!" Misato declared. "When Shinji found out about everything _his own father _had done to him, I thought he was going to die right in front of me! And as for Asuka, she ran out of my office! I found her throwing up in the hallway, just after being told half of the things that had been done to her _and _her mother! My god, even _Rei _had no idea about some of the things he had in mind for _her!_"

"I'm not blind, Misato," Ritsuko said, watching helplessly as her friend gazed scornfully at her. "I've seen the way they've been acting since then. Not that I can blame them for it."

"Then why do you have to keep pushing them?!" Misato demanded forcefully. "Honestly, Ritsuko! Why did this thing with the Dummy System have to be done so soon?!"

"Because that's what the Committee is expecting us to do!" Ritsuko returned plaintively. "Misato, don't you understand? These are some of the most powerful people on the planet we're dealing with here! And we can't do anything that would tip our hand to them! Not unless we want the JSSDF coming straight down our throats!"

"I know all about that!" Misato growled. "Alright, fine! Work on the Dummy System goes on! At least give the kids a break! You've been acting like nothing's changed! Like you expect them to be…just these little windup toys that don't feel anything!"

Ritsuko said nothing to this. She just stood there, looking at her best friend, with eyes filled with pain. "Misato," she finally said, her voice emotionless and filled with pain at the same time. "Do you have your gun with you?"

"Huh?" Misato got out, baffled by this question. "Well, yeah."

"Please draw it, Misato," Ritsuko requested, using that same horrible tone of voice.

Blinking rapidly at this request, Misato was tempted to ask the doctor why. But then she looked at the expression on Ritsuko's face, the pain and misery of this woman whom she had once trusted implicitly. Finding that she could not deny her, Misato finally reached beneath her flight jacket, and drew forth her Heckler and Koch.

Upon seeing the pistol, Ritsuko started slowly towards her friend. "Misato, do you want to know how I survived all these years?" she asked. "It's because I'm a scientist, because I'm able to distance myself from my emotions, that I managed to live on."

Continuing towards Misato, Ritsuko finally came to stand right before her friend. "I did the math, saw all the power Gendo and SEELE had, and saw that it was pointless to try and fight them," she murmured, placing her hand about Misato's wrist. "So I decided that it was better to live, to hope that they would fail, then to die for nothing. All the while pretending that Gendo actually loved me."

Letting out a hiss of surprise, Misato became aware that her friend was elevating her gun hand. "But I've been dying, Misato. I've been dying every day since I realized what I was a part of," Ritsuko explained, lifting the gun up until it was pointing straight at her forehead. "And I kept telling myself it didn't matter. That either Instrumentality would happen, or it wouldn't. And I had no power to change the outcome, either way. And all this time…I've wished it for all to end. One way…or another."

"Ritsuko…" Misato murmured.

"Misato, I'll understand if you hate me for what I've done," Ritsuko told her, no fear or protest as she leaned forward. The muzzle of the gun pressing into her forehead as she released Misato's wrist. "And if you wish…you could kill me right now."

"Stop it," Misato pleaded, her own pain battering at her own self-imposed walls.

"I won't stop you. And I wouldn't blame you if you pulled that trigger," Ritsuko told her. Her voice that same, steady, dead voice she had been using. "Because if you did…then that would mean that I am truly lost. Because if you, my best friend, thinks that I deserve to die, then …I'd rather be dead, anyway."

Time came to a stop in the restroom, with both women facing each other. Misato staring into her friend's face, a woman who had been so completely broken that she stood with a gun to her head, completely without fear for her own life.

Collapsing beneath the weight of the situation, Misato finally let the gun fall to her side. Stumbling forward, Ritsuko almost fell into her friend's face, catching her by the shoulders and looking up into her face.

The two friend's gazing into each other's eyes, until finally Misato smiled and placed her hands on the doctor's shoulder. "Like I said, Ritsuko," she told her friend, drawing her into a gentle hug. "I'm not exactly a saint, either."

Upon feeling the warmth of Misato's embrace, Ritsuko gratefully returned the gesture, tears of gratitude welling up in her eyes. Pulling away just enough to look at her friend, Ritsuko sniffled, "Thank you, Misato."

"I'll let it go…this time," Misato murmured. Then she gave the scientist an impish grin. "But the next time you jump into bed with a lunatic with delusions of godhood, I might not be so forgiving!"

Laughing at this, Ritsuko shook her head happily. "You don't have to worry about that happening. I'm quite satisfied with Tai's…ministrations." Then she shot Misato a decidedly lecherous grin. "In fact…I have to say I'm _more _than satisfied."

"He's that good, huh?" Misato inquired, shaking her head enviously. "Damn. Maybe I should ask Mana is she can whip up a cyber-boyfriend for me as well!"

While the two women were laughing at this comment, the door to the ladies' room suddenly burst open. "Oh, sempai! Major! You're here!" Maya cried out, her face flushed with fear and exhaustion. "I was looking all over for you!"

"Maya?" Ritsuko gasped, turning to look at the tech. "What's wrong?"

"It's the simulation bodies!" Maya declared. "They've been infected by an Angel!!"

-

-

-

-

"An Angel?!" Fuyutsuki snarled, looking at the phone in his hand like it was a cobra. "You let an Angel get inside these facilities?!"

"I'm sorry, sir!" Misato responded.

"There's no time for excuses!" Fuyutsuki grumbled as he focused on the situation. "We have to cut off Central Dogma! Isolate it from the Sigma units!"

"Initiating system lockout of Central Dogma!" Shigeru announced as he worked at his station.

"Cancel red alert," came the voice of Gendo Ikari. Looking about, Fuyutsuki watched as Tai strode onto the bridge, displaying none of the playfulness he had worn in the office. Shuddering, the old professor realized that if he didn't know better, he would have sworn the cyber-clone was Ikari himself.

"Fuyutsuki, come here," Tai ordered. Moving over to the cyber-clone's side, he listened as Tai whispered. "Okay, what now? What would Gendo do if he were here?"

"An Angel invading the Geofront was predicted in the Dead Sea Scrolls, but not this soon," Fuyutsuki advised. "And given that the Committee would not be pleased by such a development…"

"Feh. _Nothing _pleases those half-dead bastards," Tai hissed back, his words barely audible. Then, pure Gendo, he returned his attention to Shigeru. "Now call the Committee. Tell them there was an error in our alarm system."

"Yes, sir," Shigeru returned, putting Tai's orders into action.

"Hey, did I hear right?!" came another voice. A quick check revealed Sid entering the bridge, still in her armor. "Is there really Angel crawling about NERV?!"

"You got that right, Sid!" Makoto answered as the female AI came up behind him. "It's contaminated Sigma Unit, and it's still descending! It must be going after Terminal Dogma!"

"Uh-oh! Not good!" Sid got out.

"What about the Evas? And the pilots?" Tai demanded.

"The pilots are somewhere on base, but I'm not sure where," Makoto admitted. "The Evas are on standby in the 7th Cage. We can launch them as soon as we find the pilots. Assuming they're already on their way."

"No. Launch the Evas immediately," Tai growled. When the two techs looked at him incredulously. "If this Angel took control of the simulation bodies, then it can infect the Evas themselves. And if that happens, we're finished."

"But sir, it'll take time to launch all three!" Shigeru protested.

"Not for me, it won't!" Sid informed them as she sidled up to Makoto's terminal. "I can interface directly with the control systems and get the Evas out of here way faster than either of you can!"

Smiling at the AI girl, Makoto stood from his seat. "Then interface away, Sid!"

"Don't mind if I do!" Sid smiled as she took the otaku's place. With a mental command, a series of thin cables snaked out from her armored wrist and plugged into several ports. "I'm online! Initiating Eva launch sequence now!"

-

-

-

-

The typically quiet Evangelion holding cages became wild with sound and activity without warning. Machinery began moving seemingly of its own accord, and the Evas slid slowly and deliberately towards the launch catapults. With the base on high alert, this was something most people would come to expect would take place.

Within five minutes, the catapults had fired, and all three titans were naught to be seen.

Within ten minutes, three very confused teenagers stood upon the catwalks where the units had previously been berthed.

The redhead of the group took a few moments to catch her breath, and yelled, "What the hell!?"

-

-

-

-

"That takes care of that!" Sid announced with deep satisfaction. "The Evas are clear of the Geofront! They're as a safe as they can get now!"

"I'm glad to hear that," Fuyutsuki nodded. Then he narrowed his eyes into slits. "Now…how do we fight the Angel without the Evas?"

"That's something we'll have to figure out, isn't it?" Tai stated. Looking over at Sid, he ordered, "Stay online, and see if you can track down the Children. And get the Major and Akagi here immediately." Then he tightened his lips. "And alert Iron Maiden. Have her ready the Guardsmen for battle. We may need their help before this is all said and done."

"On it!" Sid replied easily.

-

-

-

"_An Angel?!_" Iron Maiden cried out in horror. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Oh, I wish!" Sid replied. "From we can tell, it's some kind of nano-virus, complete with AT-Fields! It's munching its way through the base, and nothing we've tried has been able to stop it!"

"Aw, damn!" Iron Maiden retorted, slamming her fist through the nearest wall. "And without an AT-Field of our own, we can't break through! And even if we did -!"

"I know! This Angel is more like a disease than anything else!" Sid reported. Even as Iron Maiden's earlier conversation Fuyutsuki came back to her, her friend continued. "We're working on finding some way of taking it down, but it's gonna take awhile! We're…we're…_aauuurrgh!!"_

"Sid?!" Iron Maiden gasped out. "Sid, what is it?!"

"I-I-I've been…compromised!" Sid cried out, her voice strangled with pain. "The Angel…_help!!!!_"

And with that final plead for help, Sid's voice went dead. "Sid?!" Iron Maiden asked pleadingly. "Sid, are you there?!"

-

-

-

-

"_Help!!!!"_

"Sid! What is it?! What's wrong?!" Makoto cried out as the turquoise-haired girl convulsed in her armor.

"What's happening?!" Misato demanded. Not waiting for any response, she rushed over to Sid's side, only to gasp in pain as her outstretched hand came into contact with a bubble of energy.

"Her armor's force field is up!" Tai shouted. "Everybody, stay clear of her!"

"Ugh, dammit!" Misato snarled. "But why would she -?!"

"I don't think it's her, Major!" Shigeru announced, paling at the information on his screen. "We've got an unidentified intruder! Someone's hacked into the subcomputer Sid was accessing! It must've gotten into her systems!"

"She said it was the Angel attacking her!" Makoto cried out. "Does that mean -?!"

"The Angel! Of course!" Tai cried out. "It must be a form of nanite collective! Like the kind used in their armor technology!"

"One way to make sure!" Ritsuko announced. "See if you can trace the source of the hack!"

"We're on it!" Shigeru stated, even as Makoto found a different station. A few moments of work later, the long-haired tech gasped in horror. "Oh, my god! She was right! The source of the hack is under B-Wing! In the pribnow box!"

"It's the Angel! It's taking over our entire computer network!" Makoto screamed. He then looked back at the rest of the people there. "_And there's nothing we can do to stop it!_"

.

-

-

-

"Ugh…what happened…?" Sid wondered dazedly. Rubbing her head, the AI girl felt like she had just met with the business end of an Eva's foot. As she looked about, she blinked rapidly, for there was no sign of the bridge.

In fact, there was no sign of _anything. _No people, no world. All Sid could see was a massive, white void, containing nothing but herself. Even her armor was gone, leaving her garbed only in her school uniform. "Huh? Where am I?"

"You are not as we expected," came an unexpected voice. A voice that Sid found to be extremely creepy, like a recording that was being played on top of itself over a thousand times, each copy slightly out of sync. "You are different. You are like them, and you are like us, as well."

Quickly shaking off her dazed condition, Sid realized exactly what had happened. "And you're the Angel that's trying to dig into my brainpan," she said to the voice, even as she accessed her self-diagnostics. As she had guessed, her organic body was unconscious, leaving her mind functioning only as a program within her cybernetic brain. In which she clearly had company.

"So. Am I close?" Sid asked the voice, trying to track down the invader.

In the white void of her inner mind, Sid could _feel_ the entity nod. "Indeed, we are, and we will. What you know, we will know, and we will use it to complete our mission. You will not resist us."

"I think you might overestimate your abilities, Angel." Sid said with a determined look set on her face.

As soon as these words were spoken, something changed in the white void. The very essence of that place swirled about, taking shape and form. Before Sid's eyes, an exact duplicate of herself appeared. Then she realized that there were differences between herself and her doppelganger. The first of which was that it's hair was blazing red, rather than turquoise. Its face was blank, holding even less emotion than Rei's. And in its right hand was a rapier.

"We will overcome your defenses," the Angel declared in that same awful voice. "All you know will become us."

Sid smirked as an identical weapon appeared in her own hand. "I like the metaphor, but don't forget you're in _my_ mind right now!" Sid screamed as she charged her double. "This is my playground, so let's play!"


	13. Infection

"Look! The optical pattern of the Angel is changing!" Maya announced, pointing at the display screen, where the image of the simulation bodies was still on. Before their very eyes, the glowing pattern on the bodies was shifting, turning from red to gold.

"Those glowing lines are electronic circuits!" Shigeru cried out. "It's an organic computer!"

Frowning as she looked at this latest enemy, Misato focused on more important matters. Such as defeating the enemy. "Cut off the main cable!" she ordered.

"Negative! It refuses to accept the command!" Makoto replied.

"I'm not surprised," Tai stated. "This Angel has hardwired itself to NERV's computer systems! It can execute commands or counter them with the speed of thought, while you're limited to how fast you can type!"

"The Angel's going after the security banks!" Shigeru cried out. "It's already cracked the pass code! It's in!"

"This is impossible!" Makoto shouted. "It's got all our codes!"

"It's scanning the main directories! It's – huh?" Shigeru started. Only to cut himself off, his face twisting with astonishment.

"What is it?" Misato demanded. "What's happening?"

Turning to face Misato, Shigeru answered, "For a moment, it looked like the Angel was going after the MAGI…but then it just…stopped."

"What do you mean, it stopped?" Misato snorted incredulously. "Is it going after something else?"

"No, it's not that! It's just…hold on!" Shigeru gasped. Once again pounding upon his station, he soon reported, "There's another active signal in there! It's blocking the Angel's progress! It's keeping it away from the MAGI's systems!"

"It's Sid," Tai stated firmly. "It has to be. She's the only thing online capable of matching the Angel's speed."

"Then she's fighting the Angel?" Misato gathered.

"I believe so," Tai confirmed. "It certainly fits all the facts on hand."

"Yeah, I'd have to agree," Makoto chimed in. "Nothing human could move at this speed! And the MAGI are on standby! Nothing's accessing them!"

"Then we better make sure that nothing can!" Misato declared. "Shut down the I/O system immediately!"

The two techs responded by looking towards Tai. Doing his best impression of Gendo, the cyber-clone ordered, "Do it!"

"Right! Uh, yes, sir!" Makoto responded. Without any delay, he and Shigeru pulled a set of emergency keys and inserted them into their respective terminals. "System shutdown!"

"Three…two…one!" Shigeru counted off. As one, they turned their keys…only to have nothing happen. Looking at each other, they then began working frantically at their stations.

"It's no good! The Angel has blocked out all of our access!" Makoto shouted. "The only thing that has any access other than it is Sid!"

Frowning intently, Misato said, "Then we better come up with some other way of stopping this Angel. Because if Sid goes down…we're all dead."

Her armored feet pounding down the halls of NERV, Iron Maiden was speeding towards the bridge when a face appeared on her HUD. For a moment, she was hopeful that Sid was back online, only to hiss when she saw the face she hated most of all. "Iron Maiden, can you hear me?" came the terse voice of Tai. "I'm speaking over our private uplink!"

"If you're on the private channel, then would you please not talk like Gendo?" Iron Maiden demanded, the combination of the face and attitude of the man she hated most of all making her even more upset than she already was.

"Oops! Sorry about that!" Tai answered, switching attitudes with remarkable speed. "But things are pretty tense up here! So Gendo-mode seemed appropriate!"

Indulging in a roll of her eyes, Iron Maiden then got down to business. "What's going up there? What happened to Sid?"

"It's the Angel, Mana! It's hacked into the NERV computer systems, and Sid was using them to keep track of this Angelic athlete's foot!" Tai explained hurriedly. "And now it's in her systems as well!"

"_What?" _Iron Maiden shrilled. "Then pull her out of there!"

"We can't! Her armor's force field is up!" Tai informed her. "And to make matters worse, the Angel is going after the MAGI, with Sid the only thing between them and it!"

"The MAGI?" Iron Maiden screeched. "Tai, you can't let the Angel gain control of them! If the Angel can access Sid _and _the MAGI, then it can gain full control of the Guardsmen! And if that happens -!"

"Then so long, cruel world!" Tai groaned miserably. "Trust me, we're doing what we can, but we need a backup plan, just in case!"

"And a whole lot of heavy firepower backing us up…" Iron Maiden growled beneath her breath. "Listen, see if you can get some really big guns for everyone there! If the Guardsmen come under the control of the Angel, you're gonna need them!"

"Right!" Tai replied eagerly. "And what will you do?"

Extending one of the progressive wrist blades from her armor, Iron Maiden murmured dangerously, "I'm coming to get my friend back."

Putting on additional burst of speed, Iron Maiden sprinted as hard as her armor would allow. She barreled down corridors and skidded around intersections, the emergency lighting already kicking in as the main power circuits were cut off one by one by the invading Angel-AI.

'_I'm coming Sid. Just hold on a little longer…'_

xxxxxx

Hissing in pain, Sid leapt back from her enemy, her rapier still at the ready.

It was ironic, really, because her body was actually unharmed, and the sword in her hand wasn't actually real. The same held true for her adversary, for while it looked like a redheaded version of herself, it wasn't actually real. It was just an avatar for the Angel attacking NERV.

However, in this arena of the mind, these symbols for power were extremely real. The blades held by both combatants represented their ability to damage the other, and their bodies symbolized the base power they held. And each cut and wound Sid suffered decreased her overall power.

She knew the same would hold true of the Angel. If she could just get a solid blow in.

Unfortunately, that was proving to be easier said than done.

Even as Sid thought this, the emotionless face of her enemy tightened. Without any warning, the Angel rushed towards her, it's own blade whipping towards her. Moving like lightning, Sid was able to parry this blow, but just barely. Sparks flying where the two blades scraped at each other, the Angel changed tacts.

Spinning about and bringing the blade to bear from the opposite direction, the red monster struck faster than Sid was able to block. Leaning backwards, Sid was able to dodge the worst of the strike, but still felt the tip of her adversary's sword nick at her face.

The Angel would not relent. Pulling back to take advantage of her enemy's awkward stance, it then swung its cruel blade down, just as Sid did a quick roll to the Angel's left.

Seeing an opening, Sid lunged for it, crying out as her blade lanced down at her enemy. "You are helpless," the Angel spoke cruelly, bringing it's blade up to meet Sid's own. "You have no power. We will take everything you are, and make it a part of us."

This said, the Angel shoved Sid backwards, just before assaulting her again. Once again, the AI met her enemy's blade with her. Grinning like a maniac, despite the multitude of bleeding cuts and bruises covering her exposed skin, Sid laughed as she faced her twin. "Is that all you've got Angel! I've dealt with _viruses_ more potent than you!"

"You cannot win. You are defeated," the Angel retorted.

"Bullshit!" Sid sneered, leaping back from the deadlock. Once again bringing her blade up to the ready, she grinned dangerously. "Let's rumble already! I've got a lot to do today, and losing to you ain't on my list!"

Sid's opponent faced her, looking at her with genuine curiosity, its own form none the worse for wear. "We do not understand this, how can you be so spirited when you have been so badly beaten?"

Sid laughed softly. "I guess you could call it part of being human, it's something my father gave me. Humanity, that is," Sid explained maliciously. "Part of that is spirit, the indomitable human will to keep going, no matter what stands in your way."

"You are not human," the Angel protested. "You have no light. You have no soul."

"You might be right" Sid agreed. "But then again, that's not for you to decide, I am me, I am I, all that existentialist nonsense. However you want to put it, Angel. One thing I know for sure, though, is this. Today, I will come out of this on top, you'll die."

"We inquire as to how you can be so sure of victory?" the Angel asked, even as she once again charged.

"Because I understand why we fight, and I know that I've got people who are counting on me, and I just don't have it in me to quit or to fail." Sid said calmly. Not bothering to move as the Angel once again brought its blade down upon her. Blocking the strike with all her strength, busying the Angel's blade with her own, the AI smiled in victory. "So, let me educate you on the human condition. Let's start with a little something called arrogance. Something you obviously know all about."

Momentarily puzzled, the Angel briefly let it's guard down. And was obviously confused as the rapier in Sid's hand began to shrink. "Being arrogant is about the worst thing you can do in a fight. Because the instant you decide you're invincible, you forget that your opponent can do things that'll totally ruin your day. Like this!"

Grinning in triumph, Sid took the power she had stolen from the one blade, and shaped it into a much smaller dagger. With the full power of the Angel still blocked by the shrunken rapier, the AI took the dagger and buried it to the hilt in the doppelganger's sternum. "And now that that lesson is over, I'll be giving you a lesson in fear!" Sid crowed, even as her doppelganger looked down at the mortal wound in shock. The Angel's avatar fading as its connection to Sid's mind dissipated. Just before it was completely gone, Sid smirked, "And you better be afraid, because this is only the beginning! Not bad for someone without a soul, huh?"

xxxxxx

"_Sid!_" Iron Maiden cried out as she crashed onto the bridge. Panting from her exertion, armor assists aside, she stared onto room she'd just arrived in, somewhat shocked.

The first thing she looked at was Sid, who was seated at one of the bridge stations. The second thing Iron Maiden noticed was that she wasn't the only one looking at the AI girl. In fact, while most people were at their stations, all eyes were focused on Sid. In fact, Misato and Ritsuko were at her side, carefully examining her.

"She's alright, Iron Maiden," came the cold Gendo-style voice of Tai. Looking over at the cyber-clone of the deposed Commander, the armor user saw a slight smile on his face. "She was able to stop the Angel. For the moment.

"Sid?" Iron Maiden asked again, coming up to her friend's side.

"It's okay," Ritsuko assured her. "She's just…had a rough time of it, that's all."

Frowning beneath her faceplate, Mana looked at her friend. Sid was leaning over the terminal, a dazed smile on her face. Then Iron Maiden noticed that the AI girl presently had her armored fist jammed into the terminal. Sparks were issuing up from the gash, delicate circuits smoking and popping fitfully.

"Ugh…hey, Mana…" Sid finally said, sitting up woozily. Frowning perplexedly, she asked, "Um…why is there three of you?"

"Oh, boy. You're really out of it, aren't you?" Iron Maiden groaned.

"I'm not surprised. That Angel really took it out of her," Misato commented. The Major then stood, and quickly briefed Iron Maiden on what had happened.

"Anyway, after Sid came back to us, she trashed the system to cut off the I/O system," Misato informed her. "And it's a good thing she did, because if she hadn't, the Angel would have already gotten control of them!"

"Ugh…sorry about the mess…" Sid groaned, swinging about in her seat to face them.

Smiling beneath her faceplate, Iron Maiden answered, "No problems, Sid. From I heard, you did good."

"But not good enough," Sid grimaced unhappily. "The Angel got hold of enough of my codes to be able to access the Valkyrie Network, which is what we used for the Guardsmen."

"Damn," Misato growled, her eyes sparking dangerously. "So what now?"

"We better prepare for an assault on the bridge," Tai declared. "With the hardlines cut, the Angel will require direct, physical access to gain control of the MAGI."

"But why was the Angel after the MAGI in the first place?" Ritsuko wondered.

"I'm not certain," Tai admitted. "But if it does, I'm certain the Angel will use them to activate the self-destruct system."

Momentarily taken aback by this declaration, Mana blinked slowly behind her helmet. "Why?"

"Because that's what I would do, if I were the Angel," Tai explained.

"I'm with him, Iron Maiden. It would make it infinitely easier for the next Angel if NERV wasn't around to fight back," Sid chimed in, looking more and more put together. "Previous Angels have shown that they will sacrifice themselves to try to attain victory. It only makes sense that this one would do the same, especially given its nature. This is the perfect strategy for it to take."

"O…kay then…" Iron Maiden turned around and faced the rest of the bridge crew. "You heard what she said, everybody grab a gun, it's gonna get a little wild in here!"

"Right," Misato nodded fiercely. Directing her gaze at the rest of the bridge staff, she ordered, "Everybody, let's get ready! We've got company on the way! Ritsuko, Maya! Get to work on analyzing this Angel! We have to find some way to kill it dead!"

"I'll help with that," Sid said. "I might not be at 100%, but I can help!"

"Great, thanks!" Misato nodded. "We also have to find the Children. Get them to someplace safe!"

"I'll take care of that," Iron Maiden declared. "Besides, I'm the best qualified to deal with any Guardsmen I might run into."

"Um, Mana?" Sid began worriedly. When Iron Maiden looked at her friend, she asked, "Why don't we just call _him_ in to help out. I know he'd do it for us, and… other people who work here."

Mana shook her head. "No, he doesn't get involved. He's got other people to watch out for. We've only got each other Sid, and I trust you with my life. So let's get to work, and send this thing back where it came from."

Sid smiled and nodded. "Alright, let's do it!"

xxxxxx

"So, it usually would have moved by now, don't you think?" Kensuke asked his taller and more athletic companion.

"Uh... yeah it really should have," Touji agreed. Staring up at the purple titan, still in its gantry, from the relative safety of the balcony of Kensuke's apartment.

Frowning, Kensuke wondered, "Maybe there's nobody in it…?"

Not bothering to answer, Touji just kept looking at the purple Evangelion. The infamous beast still managing to be fearsome, even when completely still. _'I wonder what's going on. There's no alarm, and nobody has called me…'_

"Maybe you could call Mana, maybe she can find out… " Kensuke suggested. Then he shrugged worriedly. "I dunno though. She's been acting a little weird at school lately, and Asuka keeps glaring at her like she's gonna tear her to bits… Maybe they got in a fight and they had to clear out the base or something!"

Touji stared at his friend for a second. "Ken, you're a freak, you know that?" he declared, just before allowing himself a private laugh. _'Although I might have had something to do with Asuka wanting to kill Mana, hehehe…'_

"I'm sure it's nothing anyway, probably some kind of drill," Touji assured his friend.

"I dunno. If you say so, man," Kensuke replied.

Touji stared at the Eva a little longer before leaving. _'If she needed my help… she'd call…'_

xxxxxx

"Okay, fine! So the Evas are gone! We'll just have to go find them, get in them, and kill the Angel!" Asuka declared as she led her fellow pilots down the corridor leading away from the cages.

"I'm not sure Asuka… we don't even know if there is an Angel, or what it looks like either…" Shinji said in weak protest of Asuka's idea.

"What, are you stupid? Of course it's an Angel! The alarms went off and everything!" Asuka growled wrathfully. "Besides, I'm not letting that Iron Bitch steal another kill from me!"

'_I can't believe all this…' _Asuka snarled inwardly. The pain and rage she had been feeling for weeks as strong in her as ever, if not even stronger her.

On the day Misato had told them of NERV's schemes, the way they had been manipulated to bring about the end of the world, Asuka had become sick in body and heart. After so long working to become strong and independent, the German learned that she had been used like a puppet on Gendo's strings. And she hadn't even been aware of it.

This had been horrible enough, but then Asuka had learned so many other things. Like how Rei and Ritsuko had been willing partners in Gendo's schemes, and that she would have to work with them as usual, just to keep their cover intact. That she couldn't exact the revenge she so richly deserved. She couldn't even make Gendo himself suffer, because Mana had already done so.

'_My life is effectively gone, all because of her!' _Asuka concluded, taking all her pent-up rage and channeling it in the most convenient direction.

And then Shinji gave her another prospective outlet."B-but isn't Mana our friend, I mean… she's helped us…" he began.

"No! She's not! Shut up!" Asuka yelled at the meek boy. Unwilling to even discuss Mana and the horrors that had resulted of her coming to NERV.

"S-Sorry!" Shinji squeaked out as he covered his head in preparation for the blow he was sure would come.

What he didn't expect was the pale and delicate hand of the First Child gripping firmly on his collar and jerking him backwards off his feet. Gasping in surprise, Shinji almost fell to the floor as a high caliber bullet punched through the sheet metal where his head was just moments before.

"What the -?" Shinji asked, while Asuka was gasping in shock. All three of the children looked ahead, from where the shot had come from. Just down the hall from them was a figure coated with green armor. It was rushing towards the Children, firing further rounds of both conventional bullets, and even repulsors at them.

Gasping in fear, Asuka hurriedly grabbed Shinji by the wrist and pulled him to his feet, even as Rei started running back they way they had come. With the albino leading the way, all three of them dashed as quickly as they could, fully aware that death was hounding their heels.

"Not so much our friend now is she, eh, Third?" Asuka sneered as she ran for her life. Fear giving her anger even greater strength. "The worthless bitch sicced one of her goddamned dolls on us!"

"Asuka I don't think this is really the best time for that!" Shinji yelled over the sound of gunfire echoing in the wide hallway.

"No, Shinji, you're wrong, there's always time for this! Guns or no guns, she's a bitch, okay?" Asuka screamed as they rounded a corner. And came face to face with the expressionless metal mask of Iron Maiden, who just happened to be holding a rather large gun at the moment.

"Now, now, is that how you talk about your friends?" Iron Maiden quipped as she jumped out from around the corner and leveled the multi-barreled mini-gun down the hallway. She depressed the firing stud, peppering the approaching enemy with explosive tipped five millimeter shells.

Each shell exploded spectacularly against the Guardsman. At first, it's armored skin held up against the barrage, but it soon gave way, allowing the shells to get inside it's structures, allowing their explosive power to wreak havoc internally. After what seemed like minutes, but was probably closed to about thirty seconds, the Guardsman had ceased activity and fell silently to the floor in a crumpled mess of parts.

With a slight twitch, Mana retracted her faceplate and turned around to face three pilots, "So, that was pretty fun. Wonder where the next one is…"

"What the hell Kirishima? First you sic them on us, then you kill it, what's your game!" Asuka screamed in the armored girl's face, a fist already forming at her side.

Taking an involuntary step back, Mana smiled disarmingly. "Hey, this wasn't my idea, really! There was some clever hacking on the part of the Angel that's currently attacking the base and it hijacked the control codes for the Guardsmen. I saw you guys on the monitor and well… Shinji is just too cute for me to let anything happen to him." She smirked, then shut her faceplate and took off down the hallway, motioning for the three to follow her.

Asuka glared at her hatefully, and Shinji… Shinji blushed in a way that was completely un-natural for him, yet he decided wasn't particularly unpleasant.

xxxxxx

"…and so, through my brilliant deductive skills, I've determined that they are going to make first level contact with the MAGI," Sid explained to the group before her. "All of the Guardsmen our people have fought so far have been under remote control, operating within standard parameters. And that's fine, we can take that… more or less." The she smiled grimly at her audience. "However, now that the Angel is aware of all the fun toys here for it to play with, I believe that's it's going to try and merge itself with one of our heavier units. And if the Guardsmen don't take us down, they'll wear us down enough for it to strike. It will then infect the MAGI. At which point it'll probably blow us all to kingdom come."

"That sounds about right to me," Ritsuko concurred. Then she frowned at the AI girl, who was presently grinning like an idiot. "So…what's so funny?"

"Oh, Doctor Akagi, I think you know where it goes from here," Sid said with the same smirk. "You're smarter than I am, as much as I hate to admit that. So why don't you tell _me_ what we're going to do."

Frowning at this, Ritsuko considered the matter. "Considering how fast the Angel is adapting, it would seem that our best chance to defeat it lies in altering its evolutionary path. Forcing it onto an evolutionary dead end."

"In effect, we cause it commit suicide," Tai agreed. Then he leaned in closer to the bottle-blonde, and whispered so that only she could hear. "Hmm, brains and beauty. I am _so _in love…"

Smiling helplessly at this, Ritsuko returned her attention to Sid. "But even if the Angel plans on doing what you suggest, then with the amount of firepower being sent our way, I doubt we could ever work fast enough to program the MAGI appropriately. So…" At this, Ritsuko's eyes widened, before she smiled knowingly. "You do realize that this is completely, 100% insane. You do know that, right?"

"So what else is new?" Sid shrugged."Break out the drill and get to work, Doctor."

xxxxxx

"So," Misato began, looking somewhat sickened as she looked at Ritsuko and Sid. "You drilled holes in her head, and stuck electrodes in her brain. Am I right so far?"

"Yep." The doctor replied simply. "Sid's armor isn't compatible with the MAGI, so it can't interface with them directly. And with the destruction of the I/O interface, this is the only way Sid will be able to interface with them directly. Fortunately, her cybernetic brain makes such a process simple. Even the drilling part wasn't too bad."

"And…we're going to use her brain, and the MAGI to hack into the Angel when it shows up here. Assuming, of course, that it doesn't attack Terminal Dogma directly. And hope like hell we can make the Angel kill itself, right?" Misato asked with a weary expression on her face.

"That's about the size of it," Ritsuko agreed with a sly smirk as she made the final adjustments to Sid's new implants. "I gotta say, Misato, this almost feels like something you'd come up with. I think you're rubbing off on us."

"Oh, you're just a bucket of laughs, Rits…" Misato grumbled. Indulging in a moment of immaturity by sticking her tongue out.

"Good to see some things never change, at least," Ritsuko smiled. "Anyway, this is going to take a long time to set up. And since I heard Mana is 'recruiting' volunteers to help fight off the Guardsmen, maybe you should go talk to her about it. You can probably help out there."

"I guess I _should_ do whatever I can…" Misato smiled. The prospect of action a very pleasant one for her.

xxxxxx

"Okay, everyone. I know you're probably feeling a bit scared right now. But trust me, we're all going to make it if we work together," Iron Maiden began, the girl within the armor unable to help but feel just a bit ridiculous as she stood at the head of the bridge, looking at the people she had succeeded in gathering there. A situation that wasn't helped by the fact that she absolutely hated giving speeches, let alone motivational ones. Especially when she wasn't sure that she was lying.

The NERV personnel that had volunteered to defend the bridge barely numbered at fifteen or so, and consisted mainly of bridge staff. The three pilots were there, as well as the few Section Two personnel that had survived the staffing cut. Most of them were not trained in the use of firearms larger than a small caliber pistol.

'_At least they all know the basics; you point the open end of the tube at the things you want to go away'_, Iron Maiden thought with ill humor as she continued. "Now, I know that sounds like something on a Saturday morning children's special, but it's true," she told the assembled NERV forces, once again grateful that her helmet hid her face from view. "Obviously, it's not going to be easy, but I have faith in you, and I have faith that Dr. Akagi and Sid can hold up their end too."

Pausing momentarily, Iron Maiden watched as the people around her absorbed these words. "As for the rest of us, we're going to have to buy them as much time as possible, so they can do their jobs," she told them earnestly. "Now, I'm going to be doing everything I can, but I'm going to need your help to make this work. Misato?"

Taking a step back, Iron Maiden watched as the Major took her place.

"Alright. We're going to work in two man teams, covering all the entrances and the MAGI themselves if we can. One member of each team will be using a Browning M2 variant that the guys down in R&D cooked up to help us defend ourselves, they're calling it an M2A4. They should be enough to drop a Guardsman. In addition to that, we also have this," she explained, then held up another weapon. "This is the FN P90. I know a few of you have trained with this, but as for the rest of you, it's not a hard weapon to use. Low recoil, high muzzle velocity, it won't kick your shoulder off, and we're hoping the AP rounds we're loading into them can punch through the armor. Just remember, you'll want to concentrate fire on their joints or optics if at all possible. We've got plenty of ammo, so don't worry about conserving; if you got it, use it." Then she gave the assembled volunteers a rueful smile. "Also, do me a favor and don't try to be a hero here. That's what we've got Iron Maiden for, and we don't want to make her job any harder than it already is, okay?"

When Misato was answered by a chorus of 'yes ma'am's', she nodded and turned back to Iron Maiden. "I'm going to go check on Ritsuko and Maya. Will you help finish mounting the Gatlings? You can pick them up a lot easier than anyone else."

In spite of the dire circumstances, Mana laughed beneath her armor. "Yeah, I guess I can," she chuckled. "Okay, let's get to it."

xxxxxx

As Ritsuko held up the computer board and inserted it into the MAGI, she gave a slight frown at the armored girl who was presently linked more closely to her mother's masterpiece than she ever would be. "I wonder what it must be like," the faux-blonde heard Maya wonder aloud. "To be something like her."

"Maya?" Ritsuko started, sitting up and looking at her understudy.

"Oh, I'm sorry, ma'am!" Maya got out bashfully. Looking like a little girl who had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "It's just…she's so much like us, but…"

"I know," Ritsuko nodded as she smiled at her friend. "I have to admit, I sometimes feel the same way about Tai. He's identical to Gendo here on base, but when we're alone…he'll do something so completely unlike him, and…"

"Really?" Maya started, raising an eyebrow at her mentor. "Like what?"

Giving her understudy a smile, Ritsuko answered, "Like giving me a wolf whistle when I show up in his office. Or hugging me without any warning, or…" The doctor trailed off, a sad smile ghosting her features. "It's like…everything I ever wanted from Gendo, only…I don't know. It's actually a bit strange, but…"

"Hey, Ritsuko!" came Misato's voice, followed shortly by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. The doctor and her understudy looked about and watched the purple-haired woman approach, a concerned look on her face. "How're things going here?"

"I'm not sure," Ritsuko admitted. "Sid's reprogramming the MAGI faster than either of us could, but she's still not familiar with the inner workings. Even with my mother's codes, it looks like she's having trouble coordinating with all three of them." The doctor looked her friend in the eye before saying, "Depending on how things go, she could be ready anywhere from one to five minutes."

"That should be fine," Misato replied. "What about accessing the Angel without allowing it access to the MAGI? Any ideas there?"

"Well, actually –" Ritsuko started. Only to be cut off by a heavy metallic thud from above.

The eyes of all three women went wide as they looked each other. The same thought on their minds as Misato growled in her throat. "We've got company," she muttered before looking at the Gatling situated next to the MAGI. "You take care of yourselves. And watch Sid! If she goes down -!"

"We know, Misato. You better get into position," Ritsuko told her. The Major nodded, starting away when the doctor added, "Just be sure to keep the Angel as busy as you can! Sid said that the more confused you make it, the easier it'll make things for her!"

"Well, not that I need the extra encouragement, but I'll do my best!" Misato replied as she darted back up the stairs.

xxxxxx

The instant Misato arrived on the bridge proper, she quickly surveyed the situation. All of their volunteers were at their posts, tense and nervous and as ready as she could expect them to be as the doors sounded with the clamor of metal against metal. Huge dents already appearing the reinforced armor even as the Major ran up to where Iron Maiden had stationed herself, Gatling already in hand.

As Misato ducked down behind the console, the armored heroine slammed an ammo drum into the multi-barreled terror. "Looks like we've got company," Iron Maiden muttered as she took aim at one of the doors. "Kinda makes you wish you called in sick today, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Misato admitted as she glared at the protesting doors. "What about you? Wishing you didn't make so many Guardsmen now?"

"I'll get back to you on that one later," Iron Maiden told her. "Right now, we have to test their warranties."

Misato didn't say anything to this. Instead, she just picked up her FN P90 and peeked up above the console. Trying to anticipate which of the buckling doors would give way first.

As it happened, it was the one to her right. Twin sheets of metal exploded from their frames, and through them erupted three green-skinned metallic figures. Already raising their hands, their repulsors whining eagerly.

They were immediately greeted by Iron Maiden, Misato, and several others rising up and delivering a hailstorm of shells at them. The three Guardsmen was immediately torn apart, turned into metallic Swiss cheese even as more surged through the door. They were also hit by the hailstorm of bullets, but they were already firing, loosing bolts of destruction at the NERV defenders that caused several of them to duck back down to safety. There was a cry of pain or surprise as the bolts struck home. Misato wasn't able to tell if anybody had actually been hit, and she didn't have the luxury to check and see if one of her friends was dead. Instead, she emptied her gun into the attacking Guardsman, putting out its optics. Even as the other door caved in, revealing more mechanoids.

Iron Maiden responded to this new threat by turning the massive Gatling towards the new door. Depressing the firing stud on her gun, she sent round after round into the new Guardsmen, dropping several until at last her weapon clicked empty and one of the Guardsmen fell. The armored girl fell back beneath the console before its fellows could respond in kind. "I get the feeling you're going to be earning some serious overtime here!" Iron Maiden commented as she slammed a fresh drum into her weapon.

Misato's face twitched as she heard the sounds of bullets hitting the console behind her, her own gun clicking empty as she expended the magazine at the attacking Guardsmen. "That's one way to put it."

With a slight smirk on her face, Iron Maiden once again rose up and fired into the army assailing them. In seemingly no time at all, the Guardsmen fell to the ground, mounding up into growing piles of scrap. Similar piles being built by the other members of the bridge crew.

Once Iron Maiden's gun was empty again, she ejected the spent drum and dropped down to fetch a new one. As she slammed it in place, she poked her head around the corner and looked over to the group a couple consoles over. "How are you guys holding out over there?"

The redhead behind the console answered her angrily "Oh, we're doing just peachy over here, thanks for the concern!" Moments later the barrel of a rifle peeked out from around the corner of the console and sprayed hot metallic death upon one of the Guardsmen that was still twitching.

"You know, when this is over, I'd really appreciate it if you got that rifle away from her," Iron Maiden remarked to the purple-haired Major next to her, who was already blasting the knees out of one the Guardsmen. "I don't want her 'forgetting' whose side I'm on here!"

"Unless I'm mistaken, _you're_ the one who was crazy enough let her have the gun in the first place," the Major shot back as she fired her assault rifle blindly over the top of the console.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Iron Maiden replied as she rose to fire. Only to gape at her gun when it whined in protest, completely jammed. "Great. Already overheated," she muttered as she boosted herself over the console. "Take care of things here for me, Misato! I'm gonna head over and say 'hi' to our broken toys!" With that, two progressive blades slid out from her wrists just as she launched herself at the nearest bunch of active Guardsmen. In a single motion, she sank her blade into one of her foes' chest. Inner circuitry sparked and sputtered, oils poured out, and the lights in its eyes flickered. While the Guardsmen sputtered, Iron Maiden took her free prog blade to the machine's joints and midriff. Within seconds, the Guardsman had been quartered.

Turning away from the pile of sparking wreckage, Iron Maiden fired a repulsor blast at a drone that was looming down the console the pilots were hiding behind, smashing it hard and sending it flying over their heads. As the Guardsman shut down, Mana was nearly knocked off her feet as another armored figure shot past her at high speed, the plasma from it's thrusters scorching the paint on her own armor as it collided with a Guardsman in the back of the group, one that didn't look quite right.

'_What the -?' _Iron Maiden wondered, only to realize what had happened a second later. Sid must have been able to hack into one of the Guardsmen, and she had used it to slam into one carrying the Angel's nanites. As if to confirm her theory, the remaining Guardsmen began to move erratically and fire with far less precision.

"Okay, Sid. You're doing your thing," Iron Maiden muttered as she looked at the other Guardsmen filling the bridge. "I guess I'll just have to keep doing mine…"

xxxxxx

Once again, Sid found herself in the world of her mind, facing off against a doppelganger of herself. The first thing she noticed was that the Angel looked displeased at the sight of the AI; clearly, their previous encounter was not lost on it, a fact that Sid took immediate pleasure and pride in. "Hey hot stuff," she smirked deviously. "Did ya miss me?"

Looking at Sid like she had just bitten into an apple and found half a worm, the Angel declared, "We have studied your methods." The crimson version of Sid raised its rapier before her, anger creeping into her otherwise blank expression. "Your tricks will not work on us again."

"Oh, you know my methods, of that I have no doubt," Sid grinned even as she manifested her own rapier and tipped it to her head in a mock salute. "But this time, it's not just me you have to worry about. I brought some new friends of mine that I'd like you to meet. My own three musketeers if you would." Still grinning, the AI turned around and cupped her hand to her mouth. "Athos, Porthos, Aramis! Come out and play!"

"Does that make you d'Artagnan, Sid?" asked a woman's voice as a motherly brunette woman holding a rapier of her own stepped out of the whiteness. "I am Balthasar, and I don't take kindly to intrusions, Angel."

"Nor do I. You're going to fall today Angel, of that you can be sure" came the voice of a younger looking version of the same woman as she too stepped out of the whiteness carrying a blade. "My name is Caspar. I'm going to end you."

Finally, a third figured stepped out of the whiteness, a middle-aged woman, who looked just like the other two, but was wearing a white labcoat and glasses. "I am Melchior. This infection is about to be sterilized."

"Now that we're all here, let's continue what we started earlier, Angel. Last time, I taught you about fear," Sid said angrily, glaring at the monster that was trying to take away everything that meant anything to her. "This time…the lesson is death."

* * *

Just kidding, it's not the end just yet, please review!


	14. Sterilization::New Ally

I'm going to begin by saying, i'm sorry to all of my readers for taking so long, i know it's been a few months, but, well, i'm back.

And, i'd also like to devote this entire second line to Orionpax09, without whom this story would not be possible, Thank you Orionpax09.

* * *

Looking out over the bridge, Misato gritted her teeth as she fired the M2A4 at the Guardsmen presently swarming the bridge. Trying to keep track of everyone around her, the Major darted a glance at her surroundings with one eye even as she targeted another of the green mechanical soldiers that had been corrupted by this latest Angel. Plunging NERV's command center into utter chaos.

Everywhere around her, technicians, scientists, even a few of the remaining Section Two personnel and the children were forced to wield weapons they had never used before at the Guardsmen. Here and there, one of them would pop out and open fire at the attackers, damaging and even downing one of their autonomous enemies. Just before they would counter with a barrage of repulsor blasts that sent the defenders back down behind their improvised shelters.

"How are we doing?" Makoto was heard demanding over the din.

"Could be worse!" Misato growled as she rose and fired at one of the Guardsmen. Round after round of ammunition ripped through the robot's armor, until her gun sputtered and clicked on an empty chamber. Hissing angrily, the Major ducked back down behind her chosen shelter, already reaching for a fresh ammo drum. Looking about her, she watched as Asuka poked out from behind the console the children were using for shelter and fired a few rounds before her own clicked empty.

"Dammit!" Asuka snarled, glaring hatefully at the expended weapon before her gaze was drawn by the telltale whine of a repulsor preparing to fire. Her jaw then popped open when she realized that said repulsor was being aimed directly at her.

"Asuka!" Misato cried out in horror. Watching helplessly as the repulsor spat death at the redhead even as she instinctively dropped down to safety.

"Argh! Damn, this sucks!" Asuka grumbled, ejecting the spent ammo drum before turning to her fellow pilots. "Gimme another round, ba-!" The German's mouth fell slack as she looked at Shinji, fresh horror in her face. "Wh-what in the -?"

As Misato leapt back up to take down another Guardsmen, she caught a glance of the 3rd Child's face. The fear, shock, and confusion in his expression as he stared at Asuka. As well as the long, red pigtail that had landed on his head, the burnt end of which was dangling between his eyes.

Her hand shaking, Asuka grabbed the length of her hair from Shinji's head and stared at. Barely able to choke back the many noises of dismay, horror, and disbelief as Rei chimed. "It would appear that you were not fast enough in dodging the attack," the blue-haired girl stated with typical understatement, her words echoed by a particularly long whine from the German. With something that Rei probably intended to be sympathy, she added, "At least you are uninjured."

"Uninjured? _Uninjured?"_ Asuka shrilled, waving the fall pigtail in Rei's face. "Those damned windup toys _shot my hair! MY hair!"_ Steam practically billowing from her ears, the German looked up near the ceiling, where Iron Maiden was presently engaging two of her own creations. _"Dammit, Iron Bimbo! This is all your fault!"_

"_My_ fault?" Iron Maiden retorted scornfully as she easily thrust one of her progressive wrist blades into the arc reactor of one of the Guardsmen. Retracting the blade and allowing her now dead foe to fall to the ground, she was then occupied by another one flying at her from behind. The green machine quickly got her in a lock, wrapping an arm about her neck, the other around her waist. "The _Angel's _the one making them attack, not me! How's it _my_ fault?"

"Well, you're the _verruckt dummkopf _who made these damned things! So of _course _it's _your _fault!" Asuka snarled, standing up somewhat and shaking her fist at the armored heroine. "Just wait until I -!" A series of repulsor blasts cut off the irate German's diatribe, causing tufts of her hair to curl up into perfect devil horns. "Hey, butt out already!" Without hesitation, Asuka slammed the fresh ammo drum into her weapon before leaping into full view of their foes. With a cry of pure outrage, she blanketed them with machnegun fire, perforating three of the Guardsmen with a single barrage.

"Not bad, Asuka," Iron Maiden commented even as she grabbed her opponent's arms. Twisting in mid-air, she flung the Guardsmen off into one of the walls. A couple well-placed repulsor blasts into its arc reactor put an end to it.

"Hmph! Enjoy it while you can!" Asuka declared as she once again ducked beneath the resultant counterattack. "Because as soon as I kill off these stupid tin cans, you're next!"

Rolling her eyes at the German's outburst, Misato turned her attention elsewhere. "Ritsuko! Maya!" she called out over the din, looking down the stairs that led to the MAGI. "How do things look with Sid?"

"It's hard to tell!" Ritsuko bellowed. "These data flows are moving too fast! I can barely keep up with them!"

"Just tell me she's winning!" Misato demanded as she fired upon another of the Guardsmen.

"Well…she seems okay so far," Ritsuko answered hesitantly. "But that doesn't necessarily mean that -!"

"Yeah, well, I'll take what I can get!" Misato decided as the sounds of destruction continued to rip through the bridge. Returning her attention to the battle, the Major set about finding her next target. Only to frown when she realized that the number of active Guardsmen was rapidly dwindling. The drones were no longer pouring in through the doors, and what few were still there were already being attended to by the NERV defenders.

Not liking this, Misato looked up at Iron Maiden, who was currently separating a Guardsman's head from its body. "Looks like we're running out of cannon fodder down here!"

"I noticed!" Iron Maiden replied even as she fired her repulsors at another airborne Guardsman, frying its arc reactor instantly. As this foe fell to the floor, she quickly surveyed the area, searching for further foes. "And I don't like it."

"What do you mean?" Shinji wondered from his position.

"Yeah, what's the big deal?" Asuka demanded, glaring poisonously at the armor-user. "Doesn't this mean that the Angel has run out of dolls to throw at us?"

"Asuka, we built a _thousand _Guardsmen for use in defending NERV!" Iron Maiden countered instantly. "Even with the ones I've trashed around base and the ones here, there must be at least several hundred of them fully functional and ready for battle." Letting this sink in, the armored heroine looked down towards the MAGI. "Unless…Sid…"

Catching the armor-user's meaning, Misato looked back down at the three supercomputers. "Ritsuko! Is Sid still fighting the Angel?"

"Sure looks like it!" Ritsuko called back. "The monitors show she's still fully linked to the MAGI."

Furrowing her brows at this, Misato looked back at the dwindling numbers of attackers. "What the hell is going on here?"

xxxxxx

"Have at thee, Angel!" Sid grinned as she leapt at her foe, thrusting her rapier directly at her red counterpart's face. The Angel instantly raised its own blade to parry the blow, gritting as Sid's momentum carried her backwards.

"Don't you hog all the action, Sid!" Caspar growled as she leapt in at the Angel from behind. Her rapier slashing hard against the red girl's back, eliciting a cry of shock. Turning about to look at her attacker, the Angel dodged to the side before lashing out with rapier, a stroke that would have surely taken off Caspar's sword arm if not for Melchior. The scientific aspect dashed in and elbowed the provocative woman, sending her flying out of harm's way even as she met the Angel's attack with her own rapier.

"Hey, watch it!" Caspar howled as she regained her footing.

"You had better be more careful, Caspar," Melchior answered, unaffected by the brusque tone of the womanly aspect. "Even with our superior numbers, our foe remains dangerous. We cannot afford to compromise what advantage we have over it."

"That's right. There's too much at stake here," Balthasar muttered dangerously as she came up alongside Sid. "And while you might not care about what happens to Ritsuko and the children, I do. I won't let this monster have her way."

"And on that, we're agreed!" Caspar growled as she returned to battle. Taking advantage of the opening provided her by Melchior, the womanly aspect rushed in took another swipe at the Angel. The crimson girl jumped backwards to avoid the hit, only to fall prey to another attack by the scientific component. "Just so long as neither of you get in my way!"

'_Yeesh,'_ Sid thought, watching as the three components of the MAGI argued amongst themselves. _'If this is any indicator of what Naoko was like, then no wonder she went bonkers!'_ With this in mind, she turned towards the one MAGI avatar that seemed at all stable. "Come on, Balthasar! Let's keep the momentum going!"

"Agreed," Balthasar nodded. With that, the two AIs shot forward, watching as Melchior and Caspar occupied the Angel's full attention. With the red monster securely fixed between a rock and a hard place, they were able to strike as one, both their rapiers running the Angel through the chest.

The Angel cried out in pain, looking down in disbelief at her sundered form. "Excellent. Now to finish this," Melchior decided even as she drove her rapier into the Angel's neck.

"And _I'll _be the one to do the finishing!" Caspar grinned as she leapt into the air. The womanly aspect rose above the Angel, her rapier poised and ready to slam down into one of its eyes. "As in _right now!_"

The Angel had but one moment to look up, and see doom coming down upon her. Saw it…and smiled. Just before its body began breaking apart.

"What the -?" Sid squawked, her face falling shock as the Angel fell apart. Shock that was mirrored by both Melchior and Balthasar.

"What is this shit?" Caspar shouted as she fell down in the middle of them, landing on the pile of spreading dust that was all that remained of their foe. "How did this happen?"

"I…don't know," Balthasar admitted as she took in the spreading remains. "Perhaps the Angel was more damaged by our attacks than we thought?"

"Doubtful," Melchior replied, studying the dust intently. "If that had been the case, the Angel would have dissipated upon completion of my attack. And why would it smile when Caspar was about to strike?" The scientific aspect knelt down closer to the spreading dust, narrowing her eyes at it. "It is almost as if…"

"It is almost as if _what?_" Caspar demanded, kicking up a cloud of dust as she stepped closer. "Come on, out with it already! If you've got a theory, then – _ouch!"_

Jumping as Caspar jumped back, brushing off some of the dust on her leg, Sid asked, "What is it?"

"Something _bit me!_" Caspar howled as she continued to brush off more and more of the dust.

"But how is that possible?" Balthasar wondered. "Here, let me take a closer look, and – ack!" Crying out in pain, the motherly aspect looked down at her arm. "I – it got me, too!"

"What did?" Sid demanded, unable to make sense of what was happening. "_What _got you?"

"It's – it's the dust!" Caspar cried out in disbelief. "It cut my leg! See!" With that, the womanly aspect raised her afflicted leg. Sure enough, there was a series of shallow wounds marring her skin. Like a horde of paper cuts all in the same area.

"So that's it," Melchior muttered, narrowing her eyes as the remaining dust. The tiny motes already scattering far and wide.

"What's it?" Sid wondered. Then realization began to hit her as well, sending her jaw plummeting. "Aw, damn! You mean the Angel broke itself down _on purpose?_"

"Precisely," came the voice of the Angel. Once again, it was like the same voice that had been recorded multiple times and was played back all at once. Each recording slightly out of synch with the others. "We have studied your methods, and we have learned from them. That which defeated us before is now being used against you."

After a few moments, Sid was able to make sense of the Angel's words. She had been able to defeat the Angel before by dividing her offensive power into two separate blades, giving her an opening. But now the Angel was going one further, and dividing its very essence into much smaller versions of itself. Small enough to pass as dust.

"Why, you -!" Caspar snarled. Without hesitation, she slashed at the scurrying motes, sending them flying into the air. A strike that did apparently nothing to diminish the horde.

"I get it," Sid grumbled as Caspar struck again, with similar result. "The Angel wasn't winning, so it broke itself down. And since this is basically how the Angel functions normally, subdividing to avoid our attacks would be a piece of cake."

"Agreed," Melchior nodded. Then the scientific aspect frowned somewhat. "However, even if we can no longer effectively attack the Angel, it is similarly inconvenienced." Watching as Caspar once again yelped in pain, another tiny patch of her skin having been abraded. A tiny scrape that looked like something one would put a bandage on. "The Angelic components do not have sufficient power to inflict serious damage upon any of us."

Frowning, Sid looked down at the broken down Angel. Only to feel her heart clench. "You're wrong. It _can _do us damage," she informed them. "It's stalling for time. Keeping us busy while it does something on the outside."

"That is correct," the Angel told them, something almost like a laugh in its voice. "I've found what I need to destroy the Lilum impeding me…and the four of you, as well." There was a dread pause before it spoke again. "And in this form, you will not be able to stop me in time."

"Maybe," Sid admitted grudgingly, willing her rapier to fade away. In its place, a set of heavy shoes appeared about her feet. "But then again, maybe not!" With this declaration, the AI brought her foot down hard on the dust, scattering much of it even as she ground down as hard as she could on she had stomped.

"That works!" Caspar grinned evilly as she followed Sid's example. "C'mon, girls! Time to play 'Squash the Bug'!"

Before long, all four AIs were dancing madly on the dusty form of the Angel. Sending bits of it flying into the air, scattering more of it, and grinding a few motes of it into the ground with each stomp. All of them hoping against hope that they moved quickly enough to put an end to their foe…before it set whatever plan it had into motion.

xxxxxx

"There!" Iron Maiden grunted as she yanked out the arc reactor of the last attacking Guardsman. Watching in grim satisfaction as her own creation fell to the ground, joining all the rest of the drones littering the bridge, she was marginally aware of the NERV defenders rising from their positions.

Looking out at these people, fully aware of what they had been through, Iron Maiden knew they wanted to celebrate. To relax and revel in the fact that their battle was down and over with, leaving them victorious.

And as much as she hated to admit, this was a luxury she couldn't afford to let them have.

"Okay, everyone," Iron Maiden started, catching the eyes of the people there. "We've done a good job so far, but we're not done here yet. And we won't be until we're sure the Angel is dead." Shifting about on her feet, she tried to keep her own momentum going. "Now, we don't know how long we have until the Angel tries something else, so we should probably take advantage of this breather for as long as we can."

"Good idea," Misato agreed as she stood up from her concealment. "Hyuga, Aoba, let's see about the wounded. Shinji, Asuka, Rei, check on the ammo status. Make sure we don't get caught with our guns empty." Then the Major turned towards the armor-user, and said, "Iron Maiden, stay at the doors. See if your scanners can pick up any other nasties on their way."

"Right, good idea," Iron Maiden agreed as she moved towards the doors. Punching her scanners to maximum intensity, she studied the readout on her HUD. "I'm not picking up anything right now. But I'll let you know as soon as I get something."

"Great, thanks," Misato answered. Without another word, she and the others went to work. Preparing themselves for the next assault.

As Iron Maiden listened to the people moving about, to Asuka's griping and Shinji's concerns, as well as all the other voices sounding behind her, she found herself actually smiling. Happy that, despite all this madness, no one that she knew had died.

'_When Dad died…buying me and Sid time to escape…'_ she thought grimly, that memory still as dark and painful as ever for her. The thought of watching any of these good people dying making her shudder. _'I…I don't think I could ever go through that again…'_

But it could happen. The girl within the Iron Maiden armor knew it all too well. And it was a horrible thought for her. The idea that any of these people who had filled the void in her heart gone forever…

"How are you doing?" came a voice from behind. Looking about, Iron Maiden saw Fuyutsuki coming towards her, a weary look on his face.

"Me?" Iron Maiden replied before shrugging. "I'm okay, I guess." Cocking her head to the side, she then asked, "How about the others? Are they okay?"

"For the most part, yes," Fuyutsuki confirmed. "A couple were hurt earlier, but it's nothing serious."

Nodding, Iron Maiden then asked, "What about Tai? I don't see him around anywhere."

"Tai?" Fuyutsuki repeated with a hint of amusement. "He went down to check on Dr. Akagi. He believes he can make more sense of the data flows than she can, being an AI himself."

"Probably," Iron Maiden agreed. She grinned wickedly beneath her armor before adding, "And it's probably a good excuse for him to cop a feel from her."

"Most likely, all things considered," Fuyutsuki agreed. Then he looked closer at the armor-user. "But what about you? Are you certain you're alright?"

"I just said I was okay," Iron Maiden told him.

"Yes, and I'm sure you are. Physically, that is," Fuyutsuki told her. "However, there are pains worse than physical injury. Something I'm sure you know all too well." Letting that sink in, the old professor than explained, "The burden we've placed on you is a horrendous one. And I know you'll fight bravely, the same as the children. But still…"

"But nothing," Iron Maiden broke in, knowing where Fuyutsuki was going with this. And more than a little afraid to let him continue. "Look, I appreciate what you're saying, but…right now, we have a job to do. So…let's just focus on that, okay?"

The old professor stood there and studied her for a while longer. Finally, he smiled sadly before saying, "Very well, then. Just take care of yourself. Alright?"

"I've been taking care of myself for a while, now. I don't…" Iron Maiden started. Only to break off when the alarms in her helmet sounded, her HUD changing to a radar display. "Oh, shit…"

"What is it?" Fuyutsuki asked, his expression shifting to fear. "Mana -?"

"Everyone! Take cover!" Iron Maiden cried out, her eyes glued to the tactical display. As well as the very large blips it showed. "Sensors show something big coming our way!"

"What?" Makoto yelped. "How big?"

"Remember those heavy units Sid mentioned earlier?" Iron Maiden asked rhetorically. "Well, it looks like we've got at least five of them coming right down our throats!"

"Shit!" Misato snapped before taking charge. "Everything, get to your positions! Quickly!" Then she looked back down at the MAGI. "You better brace yourselves down there! It looks like things are about to get ugly!"

"Understood!" Tai called back, but Misato was already taking her own advice. As the purple-haired woman readied her Browning, the rest of the NERV defenders manned their own weapons. Preparing once again for battle.

"I don't believe this…" Asuka was heard muttering as Iron Maiden charged her weapons and deployed her prog blades. "We've already crunched a whole bunch of these tin cans! How bad can these things really -?"

The Germans question was interrupted and answered, all at the same time, when one of the Heavy Demolition Guardsmen appeared on the other side of the door. It's hulking, eight-foot-frame too massive for it to ever hope for it to make it through, so it wedged its arms in the frame and pulled it apart. The sheet metal screaming in protest as the massive mechanical nightmare shouldered its way onto the bridge, its electronic eyes glaring death at the NERV defenders.

"_Schiesse!"_ Asuka screamed before opening fire on the mechanical titan. She was followed shortly by the other defenders, and round after round slammed into the drone's armor. Only to bounce off, leaving the massive Guardsman dented, but still a viable threat.

"Go for the eyes or the joints! They're the only weak spots on this thing!" Iron Maiden ordered as she leapt into action, firing both respulsors at the Demolition Guardsman. The green terror growled electronically before raising its arm to shield itself. The repulsor blasts splayed off the armor, slamming into the tattered Guardsmen still littering the floor. Then it responded by raising its free arm and firing a barrage from one of its own Gatlings.

"Arrgh!" Iron Maiden screamed as she took the full force of the barrage. Despite the superior armor she wore, she could still feel the force of each round slamming into her, denting her armor. Even worse was the noise reverberating through her suit, turning it into a virtual echo chamber that shredded her every conscious thought.

Then, as soon as the assault began, it stopped, allowing Iron Maiden a precious reprieve. As she recovered from the barrage, she took stock and saw that one of the NERV defenders had managed to score a direct hit on one of the Guardsman's eyes, shattering it and momentarily ruining its target lock.

'_Thank you, whoever saved my butt!'_ Iron Maiden grinned as she took advantage of the turnaround. Without hesitation, she rammed her prog blade into the Guardsman's remaining eye, completely blinding it. The monster screamed in protest, firing in the direction it had last seen her, but the armor-user was no longer there. She was swinging about to its back, positioning herself to reach down the plates protecting its neck.

"Nice defenses, pal!" Iron Maiden grinned as she felt about the Guardsman's insides. "Too bad for you…you're fighting the girl who knows your every weakness!" She then punctuated this statement by grabbing hold of the circuit node she had been looking for, and ripping it out. The Guardsmen let out a screech…before falling silent.

As the Heavy Demolition model fell down to join its smaller brothers, Iron Maiden rode with it, tempted to feel relief. Except that she knew that this battle wasn't over with. Something that was driven home when the other Demolition Guardsmen has just arrived, and were muscling their way on the bridge.

Blanching at the sight of so much destructive power coming straight down her throat, Iron Maiden quickly glanced down at her victim. While the NERV defenders were opening fire, keeping the new Guardsmen busy, the armor-user quickly moved down to downed Demolition unit's right forearm and deployed a series of smart tools from her gauntlet.

'_C'mon! I just need a few seconds!'_ Iron Maiden thought as she worked. The small tools quickly releasing the seals and bolts that held the Guardsman's forearm in place, allowing her to remove it…and slide it over her own forearm. _'Yes!'_ she thought as her armor's internal systems quickly linked to the servos and weapons in the larger forearm. _'Thank you, Henry Ford, for coming up with the idea of standardized parts!'_

With the massive arm and its equally massive weapons in place, Iron Maiden launched herself into the air. Though the added weight on her one side pulled her off-balance, her onboard computers quickly compensated. Allowing her to put her bigger, meaner fist right into the faceplates of another Guardsmen.

"Yes! Do it to it, Iron Maiden!" Makoto was heard crying out in delight as the Guardsman tottered off-balance. The armored adventuress was ready to follow up, but then she caught sight of one of the other Demolition Units moving into position, already taking aim at her. Acting on pure instinct, she flipped over the back of her captive enemy just as its brother loosed a series of missiles at her.

Instead of Iron Maiden, the missile barrage struck the Guardsman, tearing open its chest plates and leaving its arc reactor vulnerable. The NERV forces were quick to take advantage of this, sending waves of firepower into the Guardsman's heart, shredding it within seconds. With that Guardsmen done, Iron Maiden swung out from behind it, already turning her new Gatling gun on the other Demolition Units. Bullets flew forth, tearing into their armors as she followed up with a repulsor blast from her free hand. The blast hit the weakened armor of one of her enemies, and bored into the inner workings. Servos and circuits belched out clouds of smoke as Iron Maiden fired a missile at the damaged Guardsman, finishing it off.

'_Three down, two to -!'_ Iron Maiden thought, already seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Only to blanch as a dark cloud fell down before her as she realized that one of the Guardsman wasn't coming after her. It was lifting up into the air, completely ignoring the fire of the NERV defenders, and heading towards the MAGI.

"No!" Iron Maiden shrieked, already firing her thrusters and going after the one Guardsman. But in that moment, she had forgotten about the other Demolition Unit, and while the massive Guardsman was slow, its missiles were not. The armor-user was sent flying into the wall, too dazed and confused to watch as the other Guardsman descended upon the MAGI.

xxxxxx

"Ritsuko! Look out!" Misato shouted, cursing and hating herself for her helplessness. Hating the way her .50 Caliber rounds bounced off the huge Guardsman that was descending upon her friends, grunting electronically even as Ritsuko, Maya, and Tai stood helpless before the mechanical titan. With Sid completely unaware of the impending danger, helpless to save herself.

'_Dammit, dammit, no!'_ Misato shrilled in her own mind as the Guardsman landed. Sparing a moment to look over her shoulder, she watched as Iron Maiden struggled to recover even as the fifth Guardsman peppered her with firepower. Then she looked back down at the three people being backed against the MAGI, the Guardsman raising its fist to smash them into smears on the floor.

"No…damn you…" Ritsuko muttered as she backed up, bumping into the prone form of Sid. Her features twisting with anger and pain as she shook her head slowly.

"Sempai…?" Maya murmured as she looked at her mentor. Seemingly astonished when she saw not a trace of fear on the older woman's face.

"Uh, Ritsy?" Tai murmured, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I don't have a choice, do I?" Ritsuko gritted, staring hard at the raised fist. "I can't just sit back and ignore you and hope it will all turn out alright."

Frowning as she looked at her friend, Misato could only wonder what she was going on about. Right up until the moment the Guardsman brought it its fist down on her. Maya and Tai instinctively brought their hands up to shield themselves, while the doctor reached up towards the oncoming arm, like she was trying to catch it.

Misato's eyes almost exploded out of her head when this actually worked.

Ritsuko caught the crushing blow in her hands, and was almost bowled over backwards in the process. But the doctor somehow managed to keep her footing, and even more amazing, was not crushed beneath the monster machine. Instead, its servos whined as Ritsuko grunted, her skirt tearing as her muscles bulged, her teeth bared in a feral snarl.

Maya and Tai stared in silent astonishment at the doctor. The Guardsman grunted as if unsure why this puny human wasn't a smear on the floor. And Misato just looked down from above, trying to make sense of this insanity.

"Damn you…!" Ritsuko snarled, pressing up against the Guardsman. Then, as if the situation wasn't already completely insane, four bulges appeared in the back of her labcoat. Then the coat tore open, revealing four translucent white, insectoid 'arms' sprouting from the doctor's back. As soon as they appeared, two of the arms reached down to the floor and helped Ritsuko brace herself up, while the other two glowed with orange light before spitting out a series of glowing darts at the Guardsman. The darts exploded on impact, causing the drone to shriek in surprise.

"Holy…_shit!_" Misato breathed as the Guardsman tumbled backwards, freeing Ritsuko to move once again. The faux-blonde gathered her legs and sprang into the air, an impossible twenty-foot leap that put her on top of the Guardsman's chest. Shrieking with hatred, she lashed out at its armored chest, tearing gashes in solid steel with her fingers.

"Damn you!" Ritsuko growled, sounding more like a wild animal than anything human as she drove her fist into the Guardsman's chest. With a grunt of effort, she peeled the metal plating further open before positioning all four of her alien arms above the hole and firing. The barrage of orange darts flew into the gaping hole and tore the Demolition unit apart from the inside-out.

"I'm sorry! I came as fast as I could! I -!" Iron Maiden called out as she flew overhead. Desperation turning to confusion as she watched Ritsuko leap off the Guardsman as it fell down in a dead heap, then coming down from the multi-story jump on both feet like it was the easiest, most natural thing in the world to do. "What in the -?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Misato chimed in, wondering if she had somehow gotten drunk and hadn't even realized it.

While Ritsuko was looking about, fully aware of the stares of both Maya and Tai, Iron Maiden landed nearby. "Hey, Dr. Akagi," the armored adventuress greeted her, taking in the talons on the tips of her fingers, as well as the arms coming out of her back. "New look, I see."

"Uh, yeah. You could say that," Ritsuko agreed, looking unhappily at the people around her. Shifting about nervously as she glanced at her insectoid arms, she finally sagged somewhat before saying, "Um…it's a long story."

"Yeah. I believe that," Iron Maiden agreed. Then she glanced down at Sid, who was still fighting a battle of her own. "But it'll have to wait until later." Returning her focus to the doctor, she added humorlessly, "I just hope that we don't get any _more _surprises before this is over…"

xxxxxx

'_My Yui…my hopes and dreams…Adam and the paradise that he would have let me create…all of it gone…' _Gendo thought not for the first time as he languished within the confines of his NERV holding cell. Completely uncaring of the alarms and explosions that were heard throughout the complex. His every thought twisting with hatred as the picture of a single girl returned to his thoughts. _'Damn you, girl…damn you for taking Yui from me…'_

Looking bitterly at the stump where his right hand once was, Gendo was startled by the sound of a door sliding open. Looking up and frowning, he sucked in a quiet breath as he watched a figure approach. A figure wearing a suit of armor.

"Who are you?" Gendo demanded, not really caring one way or the other.

The armored figure didn't answer. He just came to stand before Gendo's cell and raised his hands, which whined with deadly power…

* * *

Oh dang.


	15. Remission::Conflict

Oh look, another chapter.

* * *

"Heh! Take _this _you goddamned freak!" Caspar growled in delight as she danced upon on the microscopic fragments of the 11th Angel. Tiny motes that swirled about in a non-existent wind, avoiding the worst of her stomps, but enough were crushed into oblivions to satisfy the womanly aspect of the MAGI. "Why don't you crawl back to the anthill you came from while you still can?"

"Casper, remain focused," Melchior cautioned as she continued her own offense. Stomping more carefully and precisely than her counterpart. "This is not time to lose control."

"Besides, this isn't a game!" Balthasar chimed in, somehow managing to make her own stomping seem dainty. "There's no telling how much damage this monster has done on the outside! We have to end this as quickly as possible!"

Rolling her eyes as Caspar gave Balthasar a one-fingered salute and told her where she could stick it, Sid resisted the temptation to join in on the completely pointless argument. Instead, she gave yet another thought that making a set of AIs that argued amongst themselves by design was utter insanity before returning her focus to the heavy boots on her feet and using them to stomp as much of the Angel into oblivion as quickly as possible.

'_I just wish I had a better idea of what was going on outside!'_ Sid thought sourly as she continued to stomp. The AI knew that her friends were horribly outnumbered; the threat of them being overwhelmed hung with her at every second.

Even as she thought this, however, the broken down Angel seized up. Every single fragment of it froze up at once, as if surprised by something. Sid and the three MAGI also paused, each of them registering confusion on their faces, taken aback by this sudden change.

This lasted a second, perhaps two, from Sid's perspective. Then each and every remaining fragment of the Angel began swirling about madly. "What the hell?" Caspar demanded, looking about in confusion as the tiny motes spun about them like crazy. And while the other MAGI weren't as vocal about, they were clearly just as baffled as Sid was. Acting on the cybernetic equivalent of instinct, the AI leaned in closer, trying to decipher her enemy's motives.

Only to gasp in surprise as a swarm of the Angelic motes leapt up at her, covering her face.

"_Acckk!"_ Sid shrieked in surprise, her eyes going wide as she looked at hundreds of tiny, crimson versions of herself. All of them armed with swords, and all of them going to stabbing her face repeatedly.

Bringing her hands up to her face, Sid smashed the tiny fragments rapidly and repeatedly even as the three MAGI cried out as well. Realizing that they were being attacked in a similar fashion, the AI girl slapped at her face desperately, trying to free herself from the attacking swarm. Though the pieces of the Angel were incapable of causing large amount of damage, their tiny blades still hurt. And they were stabbing at her everywhere they could, including at her eyes and in her nose.

Shutting her eyes even as tears of pain flooding them, Sid struggled with this unexpected attack. _'What is it trying to do now?'_ the turquoise-haired girl demanded as she continued to smash the Angel. _'It can't possibly kill any of us this way! All it's doing is driving me buggy!'_

Even as Sid thought this, she realized that she was wrong. The Angel was doing more than hurting her, than annoying her. It was distracting her. Keeping her from attacking the much greater mass of Angelic fragments at her feet. And when she realized this, Sid swore beneath her breath before wiping at her eye. She didn't care about anything else at that moment. She knew that she had to get at least one eye free of the swarm. She had to be able to see.

After a moment of hasty rubbing, Sid had managed to clear off most of the Angel that obscured her right eye, and was able to open it once more. The instant she did so, the tiny fragments surged back, again intent into stabbing it mercilessly, on forcing her to close it. But Sid forced herself to ignore them as she looked wildly about.

It was very nearly the last thing she did. For even as she looked over her shoulder, she caught sight of a blur rushing towards her. Reacting on pure impulse, she leapt backwards, narrowly avoiding having the thing run her down.

'_Or…run me through!'_ Sid gasped. Instantly realizing what had happened, she gave her eyes another rub before looking about for her attacker. "Everyone! Get your eyes clear!"

"What do you think we're trying to do?" Caspar demanded as she pounded on her face, intent on smashing every fragment of the Angel. "Win Miss Congeniality?"

"What's wrong?" Balthasar wondered, already focusing on clearing her vision.

It was Melchior, the scientific aspect, that realized what had happened first, and opened her eyes before they were completely free. "It's a diversion!" she cried out even as their attacker swooped down upon them. "Everyone! Down!"

Heeding the urgency in Melchior's voice, the other two aspects of the MAGI fell to the ground, just as their attacker swooped in once more. The scientific aspect was barely able to dodge the assault, and even then, suffered a shallow gash to her arm.

While Melchior was examining the damage and Balthasar and Caspar were trying to clear their vision, Sid was focusing her one clear eye on the airborne assailant. And saw what the 11th Angel circling around for another strike. Or rather, what was left of her.

A good portion of the Angel had already been smashed underfoot, and more of it had been set loose to keep the four AIs distracted. And thus, what flew overhead was the upper portion of the crimson figure's torso. Her head was mostly intact, save for a missing eye, her left arm was gone, as was anything beneath her chest. But she now had a set of four glowing wings, and more importantly, she had her rapier at the ready.

For a moment, Sid tried to figure out what the Angel was up to. Why the sudden change of tactics? Why had it stopped trying to delay them? But then, her crimson counterpart narrowed its remaining eye at her, and the turquoise-haired girl remembered that this was not the time for conjecturing. Sucking in a gasp, Sid looked down at her boots, and quickly went to work on dissolving them, to reform them back into a blade.

But then the Angel shot down at her once more, its blade aimed directly at her heart. And Sid realized that there was no time.

"Not so fast!" These words were then followed by a blur of motion, and Sid found her view cut off by a field of white. Taking a step back, she then realized that it was Melchior that had gotten between her and the Angel, and was now holding off its blade with her own.

The Angel furrowed its brows at this, and quickly tried to retreat. But it was already too late, for two other blades flashed through the air, coming down upon the Angel's rapier, locking it in place. Leaving it to struggle futilely against the three avatars of the MAGI held it prisoner.

"Once I realized that you were trying to keep us distracted, it also became obvious that you would attack the one amongst us who was most prepared to deal with your strikes," Melchior explained with a superior twinkle in her eye.

"So all we had to do was get our asses in gear and minds out of neutral. And all in time to get here before you did!" Caspar grinned savagely.

"Sid! Finish the Angel! Now!" Balthasar commanded, her voice full of authority.

'_Man! They may argue a lot, but when they work together…!'_ Sid thought, feeling more than a little impressed as she finished reforming her blade. Not willing to give the Angel a chance to pull another fast one, she ran up past the combined MAGI, and with a tremendous war cry, she jammed her blade through the Angel's heart

Once the analog of its core was destroyed, the Angel let out a raspy gasp of pain. Its rapier instantly dissolved, and the tiny fragments of it fell away from Sid and the three MAGI avatars. "I told you the first time we fought that I would win," Sid spoke calmly, with just a hint of anger at the entity she had impaled. "I just don't have it in me to lose."

"Neither do we!" Caspar agreed, she and the other MAGI aspects pulling back their blades. The womanly aspect sneering even as the Angel began to break apart, its pieces already dissolving into nothingness.

As the Angel's head began to break apart as well, it used what little face it had left to it to smirk. "And nor…do we."

'_Huh?'_ Sid thought, puzzled by the smug look of triumph the Angel had worn. But before she could even think of asking what their foe had meant, the last remnants of the 11th Angel broke apart and dissolved into the ether.

As Sid stood there, trying to make sense of this, Balthasar heaved a weary sigh. "Whew! Thank goodness that's over!"

"Hey, you act like that thing actually had a chance against us!" Caspar commented snidely. "Face it! Against the three of us, that thing didn't have a prayer."

"You mean, the _four _of us," Sid commented absently.

Caspar made a dismissive noise to this, but Melchior frowned in thought. "True. According to my calculations, the odds of the Angel achieving victory over the four of us were approximately .04%," the scientific aspect mulled. While Sid did a little math and found herself in agreement, the other AI went on, "Which is why its final attack makes no sense." The other three AIs turned and looked at the scientific aspect. "It broke itself down to avoid our assaults. To buy time on the outside. Therefore, why did it put its own plans at risk in an attempt to destroy us?"

"I don't know. Maybe because it knew it was going down, and decided to take at least one of us down for the ride?" Caspar asked sarcastically.

"That is one possibility," Melchior conceded. "If that's the case, then it would seem logical to assume that its forces on the outside have been defeated. In which case, further delays on the part of the Angel would only serve to weaken its overall strength."

Smiling at this, Sid asked, "Then…it's over?"

"Maybe," Balthasar said, hope mixed with caution. "But with the I/O system destroyed, there's no way for us to know for certain."

The three avatars of the MAGI then turned to look at Sid. "In other words, I better jack out of here and take a quick look around the real world," she gathered. "And if something is out of kilter out there…"

"Then you'll be the only one of us able to fix it," Melchior concurred. "I suggest you hurry. That last statement of the Angel's concerns me."

"The last gasp of a doomed bitch. That's all it was," Caspar countered. "Still, you better check it out. No harm in giving the damned thing a few extra kicks, just to be sure."

"Agreed. Oh, and Sid?" Balthasar cut in. As Sid turned to look at her, the motherly aspect gave her a sad smile. "When you see Ritsuko, please tell her that at…least part of Naoko Akagi…truly loved her. And that part lives on…in me."

Ignoring the way Caspar rolled her eyes at this, Sid nodded. "I will. And…thank you." The AI girl then closed her eyes, and with a thought, returned to the confines of her techno-organic body. When she opened her eyes, she once again saw the wires leading from her head to the insides of the MAGI. She was about to reach up and remove them…only to discover she couldn't move.

"What the…?" Sid squawked in confusion.

"Sid!" came a warm and welcome voice. Looking about, the AI girl watched as Mana knelt down beside her, grinning almost wider than her face. "Oh, thank god you're okay!"

"Hey, Mana!" Sid replied as her friend embraced her. When the auburn-haired girl pulled back somewhat, the AI frowned as she looked down at her armored form. "Uh, don't get me wrong, I'm really glad to see you as well. But…for some reason, I can't seem to…"

"I know," Mana told her understandingly. "It looks like linking to the MAGI and maintaining your force field drained your power reserves."

A moment or two passed as Sid felt her cheeks burn. "Oh," was all she could say to this. Frowning, she once again tried to move, but found she simply didn't have the strength needed to move the immobilized armor. "Looks like it didn't do me any favors, either."

Nodding sympathetically, Mana told her, "We'll get you to NERV Medical as soon as we can, Sid. Then we can take care of these as well." Indicating the electrodes that had been planted in her cybernetic brain, Mana then removed the wires connected to them. "Uh, Dr. Akagi? Could you give me a hand here? My armor's low on power, too."

"Be right there," Sid heard Ritsuko answer. She was about to ask what the doctor could do to help, only to gape in astonishment when she walked into view.

"What in the -?" Sid squeaked as she took in the strange, insectoid arms coming out of Ritsuko's back, as well as the fangs and talons she had sprouted. But her astonishment skyrocketed when the faux-blonde placed her arm beneath Sid's own, and hefted her, armor and all, without so much as a grunt of strain.

"Thanks," Mana smiled as she mirrored the doctor's action on Sid's other side. Leaving the cybernetic girl to look between them with growing confusion.

"Um…that Angel must've messed me up even more than I thought," Sid commented with ill humor. "Either that, or Dr. Akagi has been to the gym _and _the horror movies!"

Exhaling sharply, Ritsuko gave the turquoise-haired girl a sad look. "I wish it were that simple," was all she said. "Come on. We've still got plenty of work to do…and wounded to tend to."

xxxxxx

"So is Sid going to be okay?" Misato wondered as she stood on the bridge, surveying the aftermath of their battle for survival. Trying to keep everything, all the hurt and confusion and fear she felt tucked beneath the surface as the all too human-looking girl was taken away on a stretcher, along with the rest of their wounded.

"She's fine, Misato," Ritsuko confirmed. Trying to ignore the way the scientist's current condition adding to the emotional chaos she was dealing with, the Major listened as she went on, "Sid's a hybrid of technology and living tissue. Linking to the MAGI that way was just tiring for her. Nothing worse."

"That's good to hear," Misato decided. "What about the others? How bad is it?"

Sighing, Ritsuko answered, "We've got a few injuries, but nothing too serious. A few broken bones, as well as burns from the explosions. But they should be okay in a week or so." Giving the Major a somber look, she added, "But as for the rest of NERV…"

"I know. We have to find out how badly we were hurt," Misato concurred, her memories of this fresh battle painting in her mind all the horrors that could have taken place as a result of this Angel. Feeling a fresh wave of hatred towards those monsters, the Major did her best to push them away, at least for a while. "So…how long until the MAGI are operational again?"

"A few minutes or so. All I really need to do is bypass the damage to the I/O. That'll hold until we can make actual repairs," Ritsuko informed her.

Nodding, Misato replied, "Good. Then you better get on it. The sooner we can access the security systems, the easier it'll be to track down our wounded. And then…"

"I will, Misato," Ritsuko answered sadly. But instead of moving to do as she was asked, the doctor turned to face her friend. "But that's not what you really want to ask me about. Is it."

'_No, it isn't,'_ Misato agreed inwardly, glancing at Ritsuko and seeing the decidedly inhuman condition she was in. What she forced herself to say was, "We'll talk about that later. Right now, we have more important things to deal with. So…we better get to work."

Lowering her gaze, Ritsuko nodded before starting forward. "I understand."

Before the scientist could take more than a few steps, Misato added, "Oh, and Rits?" When she turned about, the purple-haired woman managed a tender smile. "Thanks for saving our asses back there."

Blinking a few times, Ritsuko sighed as a ghost of a smile appeared on her face as well. "No problem_._"

Watching as her friend continued on her way, ignoring the looks given her as she began giving orders, Misato shook her head before going over to Fuyutsuki. The old professor was presently hovering over Mana's shoulder as she sat on the wreck of one of the deactivated Demolition Units. "Dr. Akagi is sure full of surprises," Mana commented wryly.

"Hmph. Tell me about it," Misato agreed as she moved closer. Frowning as she noted the wires leading from Mana's armor to the Guardsman, she asked, "So…what are you doing?"

"Reinitializing and recharging my arc reactor," Mana explained. "Turns out that this monster's was still functional, and I didn't want to waste time going back to the maintenance hangar before juicing up." Her features darkened as she looked about the wrecked bridge. "Even if the Angel is dead…"

"Right. Best to be prepared," Misato returned. Turning towards Fuyutsuki, she said, "Rits said that she can have the MAGI up and running soon. And soon as that happens, we'll be track down everyone that was injured, or…" Both the Sub Commander nodded their understanding as Misato trailed off. "Hopefully, it shouldn't take long before all the damage is repaired. But…"

"But we still have to make sure that SEELE doesn't learn about the Angel's attack," Fuyutsuki nodded. "I'll worry about that, Major. For now, it's imperative that we get NERV operational again…and take care of our wounded."

"Agreed," Misato nodded. "Sir, there is one other thing. I'd like to send Shinji and the other Children back home for now. There's no reason for them to stay here while all of this is…"

Smiling in a sad way, Fuyutsuki replied, "Agreed." Then he raised an eyebrow at the Major. "By the way, how are things going with Rei's new apartment?"

"Slowly," Misato answered, grateful for the change in topic. "We were just barely getting her moved in. And…well, she didn't say anything when we got her out of that stinking hole Gendo put her in, but…"

"I understand," Fuyutsuki murmured. "I'll arrange an escort to take the Children to your apartment building. And then…"

"And then…we get back to business," Mana chimed in.

Turning back towards the armor-user, Misato frowned. "You know, Mana, you don't have to stay here, either. You have your own place, too, now. And…"

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm not going anywhere. Not yet," Mana countered dangerously. "Not until I'm sure that Sid is okay. And besides…" The auburn-haired girl cast a glance off to the side. A glance that Misato followed with her own eyes, and found herself looking at Ritsuko as she worked at the shatter control panel. Her insectoid arms proving nimble and dexterous as she removed the various panels and bypassed damaged circuitry. "If you think I'm leaving without hearing her story, you're crazy."

Grimacing at this reminder, Misato sighed, "I know what you mean…"

xxxxxxx

"You sure you're okay?" Mana asked Sid, the two girls standing next to each other in Tai's office along with the rest of the command staff.

About an hour passed after that. An hour in which Shinji and the other pilots had been sent back to their apartments. And an hour in which Sid had received a quick checkup, and after having her head bandaged up, was deemed fit to join them at this meeting as long as she didn't exert herself and came back to NERV Medical as soon as the meeting was over.

"Relax, Mana! I'll be okay!" Sid commented beneath her breath. "It'll take a little while before this meaty body of mine is healed, but other than, I'm good! So relax!"

'_Easier said than done,'_ Mana thought ruefully. Every nerve she possessed fried and at their limits after everything that happened. Still, she forced herself to look away from her friend, and focus on the meeting taking place.

"…so while our casualties are heavy, no one was actually killed in the battle," Fuyutsuki concluded as he read from a report.

"Wow," Maya breathed, grinning her relief. "I mean…after everything that happened…I was sure that…"

"I know," Ritsuko agreed. The faux-blonde had long since changed back to her human form, and was wearing a fresh labcoat. "It seems almost impossible."

"Not really," Tai commented. "Remember, the goal of the Angels is to cause Third Impact and wipe out the human race. So unless people were actively in its way, or a potential threat, it didn't consider them a threat. For the most part, it was just using the Guardsmen to make sure that no reinforcements arrived."

"And to make sure that the Children couldn't reach the Evas," Misato nodded, recalling how Iron Maiden had been forced to protect them. "Makes sense. It thought that it couldn't be stopped…"

"And that was its undoing," Sid commented smugly.

"Fortunately for us," Fuyutsuki commented. "Dr. Akagi, what about the damage? How long do you think it will take before NERV's systems will be fully functional?"

"Not too long. Most of the base is still fully operational," Ritsuko reported. Then she wrinkled her nose and added, "However, the bridge is another story altogether. Even with multiple teams working double shifts, it'll be at least a couple weeks before it's completely repaired. And with all the injured we've got…"

Nodding, Fuyutsuki declared, "Still, you had best get started. We can't afford to waste any time on this." While Ritsuko made an affirmative motion, the old professor asked, "What about the Guardsmen and the Valkyrie network? How long until…?"

Taking a moment to consider this, Mana finally said, "Well, we can rebuild all the destroyed Guardsmen, no problem. And the others just shut down when the Angel died, so they're fine. But as for the Valkyrie Network, I can't tell you anything until the MAGI's diagnostic is complete. Though with the Angel dead, I think it should be okay."

"Then we won't have any problems restoring our defenses," Tai commented, looking and acting a bit too much like Gendo for Mana's taste. "That's something, at least." The tactical AI then shook his head before adding, "Of course, we're still going to have to pull a fast song and dance to keep SEELE off our backs."

"True," Fuyutsuki muttered. "But we can deal with another time. Right now, our primary concerns must be getting NERV back to full capacity as quickly as possible."

"Right," Misato nodded. The Major then turned her gaze towards NERV's head scientist, and said, "Which leave us with just one thing we need to talk about."

All eyes shifted to Ritsuko, who seemed to sag beneath their combined gazes. "Uh, Ritsy?" Tai spoke hesitantly, looking as bashful and embarrassed as Gendo never did. "Don't get us wrong, we're really glad you helped save the day and all. But...I get the feeling everybody would really like to know about…"

"About what happened back there?" Ritsuko completed, leaving her new lover looking more embarrassed and ashamed. Then she took off her new lab coat and let slide to the floor, revealing the shredded back of her shirt. "About _these?_" she added even as the four alien arms exploded into existence once more. Turning to look at everyone around her, the scientist sighed before looking at her four extra arms as well. "I guess I can't blame you. Not after…everything that's happened…"

"Ritsuko…" Misato began, caught between fear and concern.

"No, it's…it's okay, Misato. I understand," Ritsuko returned, shrugging helplessly.

"Sempai, please," Maya broke in, looking worriedly at her mentor. "We just…we just want to make sure that you're okay, that's all!" Darting a nervous glance at the arms, the meek brunette smiled her best. "I mean…well…"

"I know, Maya. Believe me, I know," Ritsuko confirmed. Taking a deep breath, the doctor moved about so that she could look at everyone there. "It a started a while ago. Before you even came here, Mana," the doctor explained, directing a glance at the auburn-haired girl. "Gendo had just received some new equipment. Prototypes for what became the Valkyries and the Valkyrie Network."

"Dad's equipment," Mana noted, unable to hide the anger she still felt.

"Right," Ritsuko confirmed. "Gendo had it sent to a lab in Terminal Dogma. He wanted me to get to work on it right away." The scientist paused, memories of pain flashing in her eyes. "As we told you, Gendo was planning on betraying SEELE. On making his own version of Instrumentality occur. So he wanted to make sure that NERV would be able to withstand any attack they might mount against Tokyo-3." Waiting just long enough to be certain that everyone was still with her, Ritsuko then began pacing about the office. "Anyway, some of the equipment was moved into the cloning lab by mistake. I don't know how, but one of the fluid pumps for the cloning chambers was damaged. Not enough to show up on the diagnostics…but enough for something to get into it."

"Something…to get in?" Maya frowned blankly.

"That's right," Ritsuko nodded. "So, anyway, one day I was working down there, producing more clones for the Dummy Plugs, when I realized that one of them had been genetically contaminated. I had just begun purging the clone when it somehow broke out of the chamber, and…"

"What?" Fuyutsuki muttered, the old professor's face incredulous. "But that's impossible. Rei's clones have no souls of their own. They couldn't possibly…"

"I realize that, sir," Ritsuko broke in, sounding more tired than anything else. "I don't know how it happened, either. All I do know is that, as soon as it gotten loose, the clone pounced on me…and bit me. Right here." Fingering her neck, the doctor paused momentarily, as if reflecting on that moment of terror. "That's all I remember before passing out. When I woke up…I was like this."

Holding out her clawed hands, her additional arms, Ritsuko stood there, letting them study her. "But…how?" Sid wondered. "How did – whatever it was in the clone – get into you?"

"I don't know, Sid. And believe me, I wish I did," Ritsuko muttered. "Later, I found out that I could change back to my human form. Though…certain changes remained."

"Like those exquisite abs of yours, my dear?" Tai asked, shooting Ritsuko a lusting grin.

"That's one item, yes," Ritsuko admitted. While Mana was wondering which of Tai's subroutines was responsible for his excessive horniness, the faux-blonde continued. "Later on, I did some testing, and I found out that somehow, that clone's genetic code had become mixed with that of some kind of…of spider."

The instant this was said, Mana felt a jolt shoot down her spine. She looked at Sid, and found herself looking into the AI girl's own astonished orbs. "A spider?" Mana got out as she looked back at Ritsuko.

"That's right," Ritsuko confirmed, seeming somewhat puzzled by Mana's reaction. "A spider must've gotten into the cloning chamber, and somehow its DNA merged with the clone's."

"W-wait a minute," Mana started, shaking as she looked at the doctor. "Dr. Akagi…are you saying that you can do…whatever a spider can? Like…shoot webs, for example?"

Straightening up, Ritsuko looked perplexedly at the auburn-haired girl for a moment. "Uh, yeah," she answered hesitantly.

"Could you show me?" Mana pressed on, growing more and more excited. "Please?" If anything, the faux-blonde was even more confused. Looking about at the others, as if silently asking for permission, she finally shrugged. Without preamble, she made a strange gesture with her right hand. On cue, a spray of grayish-white erupted from her wrist, forming into a web as it hit the air and hit the floor.

"Omigosh! _That's it!_" Sid cried out in excitement. "That's the same junk that stopped us from going splat into that building!"

"What?" Misato asked, as if trying to decide who was giving her more surprises. "What do you mean?"

As quickly as she could, Mana explained what had happened after she had tried to stop the 8th Angel, as well as the malfunction that had occurred in her armor as a result of firing the maser. "I was about to smash into a building, but then something stopped me and swung me away from it," the auburn-haired girl concluded. "If she hadn't done that, there's no way I would have survived the crash!"

"Wait a minute…that thing was _you?_" Ritsuko gasped in astonishment. When all eyes swung back in her direction, the faux-blonde shrugged helplessly. "I…when that happened, I was just…sneaking of NERV! I'd just woken up after the attack, and I was trying to sneak back home without being seen! Then…well, I saw…_something _coming flying down, and…I don't know! When I saw it – you – I fired that web on pure instinct! I didn't even know what it was or how or why I even tried to save it!" Looking bashfully at Mana, the doctor finally said, "I…I just felt like…it was the right thing to do."

"Believe me, it _was_! If you hadn't deflected us, we'd be both deader than disco!" Sid commented. Then she gave Ritsuko a wry smile and added, "Of course, it would have been nice if you'd stuck around to help us after we were done crashing. But if you were really as freaked out as you said…then I guess I can't complain too much."

"Same here," Mana chimed in. Moving up to the doctor, she held out her hand. "In which case, I guess I should really be saying…thank you."

"I'd say that we should _all _be thanking you, Dr. Akagi," Fuyutsuki intoned with a deep smile. "For if you hadn't saved Mana, then her father's technology would likely be in Ikari's hands. And we would never have been given the chance to fight back against SEELE."

"And I would never have been created, for that matter," Tai commented. "Whew! I knew I had plenty of reasons to love you!"

Blinking as she looked about at them all, Ritsuko's eyes finally settled upon Mana, who was still standing there, her hand outstretched. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the doctor sniffed, her eyes watering as she took Mana's hand in her own. "I think…I should be one thanking…all of you."

"Why's that?" Mana wondered, taken by surprise by this statement.

"Because…I feel _good _about myself. For the first time in a long time," Ritsuko told her earnestly. "And I owe that…to all of you."

xxxxxxx

The next day came far too soon for Mana's taste. When she woke up, it was very slowly and with tremendous reluctance. And the first thing she wanted to do once she was fully awake was go right back to sleep.

'_Ugh…'_ Mana groaned as she lay back, the events of last night somehow managing to crawl back into her mind. After the prolonged meeting that concluded with Ritsuko's various explanations, Misato had kindly driven both her back to the apartment she shared with Sid, which was located in the same building as her. _'I swear, I never want to have the Major drive me anywhere ever again! I don't think I'd survive it!'_

Not even wanting to think about what would happen if Misato were to ever don a suit of armor like her own, Mana groaned as she sat up in her bed, massaging the various bumps and bruises suffered over the course of the battle. Things that had been aggravated by both the long hours put in last night and the drive home afterwards, which involved hitting every single bump, taking every turn at speeds way too fast, and running so many red lights that Mana had finally closed her eyes and waited for the nightmare to be over.

Wincing as she moved the wrong way, Mana sighed wearily. There was no chance of her getting back to sleep, not with how sore she felt. Looking about her modest apartment, she found her gaze drawn to the bathroom. _'Maybe a soak in a hot tub will help,'_ she thought, finding the idea very attractive. _'And I don't have school today, so…'_

This thought settled it for Mana. To be honest, even if she _did _have school that day, she doubted it would have mattered to her. She was so long past exhausted that it didn't seem humanly possible, and all she wanted to do was relax and recover from everything that had happened.

Getting to her feet, Mana slowly stretched out, working out the kinks and wincing as her injuries protested this motion. Brushing back the untidy mop that was passing as her hair that morning, she immediately started towards the bathroom…only to be interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

Pausing in mid-step, Mana slowly looked towards the door. The first question to cross her mind was who would be bothering her at this god-awful hour. The second was why she should even bother trying to answer it after everything she had been through.

'_Besides, it's probably just some moron who's got the wrong address,'_ Mana grumbled inwardly as she started forward again. Only to be stopped once more when the doorbell rang again. Giving the door a poisonous look, the auburn-haired girl paused. _'Look, pal, I'm not in the mood for company! So take the hint and take a hike already!'_ This very reasonable mental request was answered by another ring of the doorbell, and was this time followed by a persistent knocking.

With a groan of dismay, Mana placed her hand to her already throbbing temple. "Alright, alright! I'm coming!" Grumbling beneath her breath, she made her way to front door. Flinging it open, she growled, "Now what is – Touji?"

"Well, somebody's sure in a bad mood!" Touji returned wryly. "What happened? Rough night?"

"Uh…yeah, you could say that," Mana quickly agreed. Giving a quick shake of her head, she narrowed her eyes at her visitor. "So…what are you doing here so early?"

"Early?" Touji repeated incredulously. "Man, you really _are _out of it! It's almost noon!"

"Wh- noon?" Mana gaped. Letting out a miserable sigh, she placed her hands to her once more. "Oh, damn. I knew I was up late, but _this…_" Deciding that she was not in the mood to give any further thought to the matter, she looked back up at Touji. "So…what brings you to this neck of the woods?"

Giving her a cocky grin, Toji answered, "Well, sometimes Ken and I drop in on Shinji for lunch. The stuff he makes puts even the stuff at the restaurants and delis to shame." Nodding in recollection at the meals she had seen Shinji enjoying at school, Mana looked up in time to see the jock give her a meaningful look. "And since we were in the neighborhood anyway…I thought I'd check in. See how you were doing."

"We? Does that mean Kensuke's somewhere around here?" Mana asked, not sure if she could deal with the both of them at once.

"Uh, yeah. He's still over there, actually," Touji grimaced good-naturedly. "So…"

Frowning as she looked at Touji's expectant face, Mana repeated, "So…?"

"So…aren't you gonna invite me in?" Touji asked, grinning his big, dumb jock grin.

Mana stood there for a moment, her mind blank until it managed to reboot itself. "Oh. Right," she got out. She probably would have smacked herself on the forehead, except that would have hurt too much. "Uh, come in. I – uh – don't have anything special to eat, but…"

"Ah, that's okay. I already ate," Touji informed her as Mana led the way inside.

"Good thinking," Mana decided. Wondering just how many servings it would have taken to fill Touji up, she took a seat and gestured for him to do the same.

"Nice place," Touji decided as he looked up his surroundings. "You know, I don't think I've been here before."

"Yeah, well, I only just settled in here," Mana answered. As she looked about the rather spare furniture and electronics, she sighed in memory of better times. "It's a work in progress, but…"

"I know how that is," Touji nodded. "Anyway, Mana…there's something I've been wanting to ask you."

"What is it?" Mana wondered.

"Last night, something really weird happened," Touji began casually. "I was over at Ken's place – just hanging around, you know..." Mana nodded to this, even smiling at the notion of doing something so casual. "When all of a sudden, we heard this really loud noise from just outside."

"What kind of noise?" Mana asked, not sure where the jock was going with this.

"A loud one," Touji commented noncommittally. "So, anyway, we went outside, and you know what we found out there?" He waited just long enough for Mana to shrug before going on. "Shinji's Evangelion. Just standing there like a statue."

'_Uh-oh,'_ Mana groaned inwardly.

"Now, we stood there and watched the thing stand around for a while, and eventually it went back down into the Geofront," Touji went on, keeping his false air of casualness. "Now, I know I'm basically just a dumb jock, but even _I_ know that when an Eva shows up out here, something weird's going on. And when it just stands around forever, doing nothing before going back down, that means something _extra _weird."

Hissing beneath her breath, Mana then forced a smile in place. "Aw, c'mon, Touji! It's not that big a deal!" she told him as carefully as she could. "It was probably just a malfunction in the launch systems, that's all!"

"A malfunction, huh?" Touji repeated gamely. "Funny. When I asked my dad what happened, he told me that it was a drill. And Misato-sama, she just wouldn't talk about it at all."

Groaning at the realization that she had just been cornered, Mana grumbled, "So much for being a dumb jock…"

"Look, Mana, I know that I can't expect them to tell me if something bad is going down. I know that," Touji told her, rising from his seat. "But…you and Sid…you both trusted me and Ken to help you before. And it was pretty obvious that Shinji and the Devil were a mess! So…!" Unable to complete his own sentence, the jock cocked his head at Mana. "Something bad went down in NERV last night. Didn't it?"

Realizing that there was no way that she could lie to him and have it come off as believable, Mana frowned heavily. "Yeah."

His features growing more intense, Touji then asked, "So why didn't you call me? I mean, if I'd known you were in trouble -!"

"You would have come down there. To risk your life to try and save ours. I know that. And _that's _why I _didn't _call you!" Mana told him, rising up to meet his gaze. "Touji…I appreciate everything you've done for us. For me and Sid. I…I can't even begin to tell you how much that means to me." Pain and loss rising up in her, causing her to force down the horrors she had lived through, Mana stepped closer to her friend. "But I've seen things, lived through things that no one should ever have to. And the more you get involved with what's happening, the worse things could get for you. And you shouldn't have to go through that. You don't deserve it."

"And you _do?"_ Touji demanded. "What, you think you _deserve_ to go through hell?"

"At least I know what it looks like! I know what to expect!" Mana told him fiercely. "Besides, you have a family, Touji! You have other people who need you! How do you think they'd feel if you got hurt doing something stupid?"

"So what? Trying to help someone I care for is stupid?" Touji asked, moving in closer to her. "And what about you, huh? Do you think you getting hurt is going to make me or anyone else happy? _Do you?"_

"Of course not! But _my_ life is the only one I have the right to _risk!"_ Mana cried out. "It's bad enough I brought you in as far as I have, Touji. If you got hurt because of me…"

"Stop it, Mana! Stop placing everything on your head!" Touji told her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "If I get hurt in battle, then guess what? It won't because of you! It'll because I decided that something in my life was worth fighting for!"

"But -!" Mana sputtered, grabbing hold of Touji's arms. Until at last she lowered her gaze, all the hurt she had endured appearing in her face. "But…Touji…"

"What? What is it now?" Touji demanded, giving her a rough little shake. "What excuse are you going to throw at me this time?"

Mana didn't say anything at first. And when she did, when she finally looked up at him with eyes that were quickly moistening, all she could tell him was the truth. "I don't want you to die, Touji," she murmured sadly. "I've already lost my dad, my life. And…I don't want anyone else to die."

Blinking at her, Touji finally gave her a cocky grin. "And I don't want to die, either. Trust me, I'm completely opposed to dying!" Chuckling at his own wit, something that even had Mana snorting in laughter, the jock tilted his head so as to better look at her. "But you know something? I'm also opposed to _you _dying. So what do you say to that?"

'_I'd say that I'm really lucky that Ritsuko left me where you found me,'_ was Mana's initial thought. And as she sighed, her emotional strength drained, she might have been able to say or do something more. Except at that moment, the sound of a telephone ringing filled her apartment, drawing the attention of both teens.

As they looked about in the direction of the phone, Mana sighed, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. "I, uh…I guess I better get that."

"Well…" Touji paused in thought. "We could always ignore it and hope that whoever it is gives up."

"That didn't work too well the last time I tried it," Mana commented. Placing her finger on Touji's nose, she gently pushed him away and started towards the phone. Trying not to think of the emotions bouncing around in her brain, she picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"_Mana! Thank goodness you're awake!"_ came Sid's voice.

"Sid? What are you doing up?" Mana demanded.

"_I've been helping with running diagnostics here on base! Don't worry, I haven't left NERV Medical! Just trying to keep busy!"_ Sid explained. _"Anyway, I hate to tell you this, but we've got a problem!"_

Wincing at this, Mana darted a glance at Touji. Noting the way his face darkened, she quickly cupped her hand over the phone. "Sid, you _know_ I hate it when you say that…"

"_Yeah, well, you're gonna hate _this _a whole lot more!" _Sid assured her. _"It turns out that there was a serious glitch in the security system when the Angel attacked last night! All the video logs went up in smoke, and -!"_

"Sid!" Mana hissed. "You _know _we shouldn't -!"

"_We're on a secure line, Mana! I'm using my private uplink to contact you! Trust me, nobody can intercept this call!" _Sid assured her. _"Anyway, when the search teams got around to the detention center, they found something! Or maybe I should say, they _didn't _find something!"_

"Didn't find?" Mana got out. Then realization hit her like a brick, and nearly sent her falling to the floor. "Are you saying that…the Commander…?"

"_You got it!"_ Sid answered gravely. _"We're not sure what exactly happened, but Gendo's gone, Mana! He's vanished without a trace!"_

* * *

suspense.


	16. Unforseen Consequences

Chapter 16. Unforseen Consequences.

* * *

Mana had no idea how long she stood at the phone, stunned speechless by her friend's words. Her mind sent into overdrive as it tried to make sense of what she had been told, her mouth hanging open and her eyes bulging clear out of their sockets. The only reason that she maintained her grip on the receiver was that she was so completely paralyzed.

"_Mana?"_ Sid eventually spoke up. The AI's words like a splash of cold water in her face. _"Hey, Mana! Are you still there?"_

"I – I -!" Mana sputtered out as her brain tried to reboot. Then, with a shake of her head, she managed to jumpstart her mental processes into a semi-functional state, at which point she pressed the phone as tightly to her head as she could. "Sid, are you serious? He's really _gone?_"

"_Totally! Not a trace of him anywhere!"_ Sid replied with even greater emotion. _"Gendo's totally pulled a Houdini on us!"_

Blinking rapidly as she worked her jaws, Mana darted a quick glance at Touji. The jock was standing there impassively, clearly annoyed that he was not being let in on what was going on. Hissing beneath her breath, the auburn-haired girl turned away from him, her expression becoming impassive. The only sign of the horror she now felt was her white-knuckled grip on the phone. "He's escaped? But how did he get out without anyone noticing?"

"_We don't know that part,"_ Sid confessed ruefully. _"But we _do _know that he had help. T__here are some really suspicious burns around the cell door. To make matters worse, the MAGI recorded an arc reactor signature at about the time he got loose."_

"What?" Mana gasped, her emotional control heavily shaken by this. "Are you saying that…one of the Guardsmen…?"

"_No, it's worse than that," _Sid returned unhappily. _"The energy signature isn't a match for any of the Guardsmen. The only thing it comes close to is the emissions from our own armors!"_

If Mana thought she was beyond being surprised, this statement would have proven her wrong. Her emotional walls suffering another blow, she required another few moments to recover before speaking again. "Are…are you sure about that, Sid?"

"_Positive!"_ the AI girl confirmed. _"The MAGI in full agreement on that one! And my own sensors back them up on that one!" _Then Sid snorted lightly, and added, _"Not like I really had to. Because, trust me, when those three are in total agreement, you know you're screwed!"_

Mana's voice hitched as she responded, "W-what?" She took several deep breaths as she struggled to respond. "But…that's impossible! _We're_ the only ones with that technology, and -!"

"_I know, I know!" _Sid returned, her frustration clear, even over the phone line. _"The only thing that makes sense is that someone must've found one of the prototype units and used it to pull this off."_

"Prototype?" Mana repeated blankly. "What are you talking about? _What _prototype?"

"_The Stark Industries prototype unit,"_ Sid explained tersely. _"They're the ones that developed the original technology. It's what your father based his work on in the first place."_

"Stark…?" Mana fumbled, her brain once again freezing up on her. Barely able to avoid suffering the mental equivalent of a Blue Screen of Death, she completely forgot that she was trying to keep quiet. "What's that supposed to mean, Sid? Stark Industries went up in smoke years ago! Right after Second Impact!"

"_I know that, Mana! But…"_ Sid began, only to sputter out herself.

"But, what?" Mana prompted. Then she saw Touji approaching out of the corner of her eye, the jock quickly losing what little patience he possessed. Shooing him away with her hand and hoping that he got the message, Mana whispered, "Sid, what are you trying to tell me here? What's my dad have to do with Stark Industries?"

There was a long, ugly pause, much longer than Mana was happy with. But finally, Sid began to answer her questions. _"Dr. Kirishima…he used to work for Stark Industries,"_ the AI girl finally told her, using a voice far more solemn than the auburn-haired girl was used to. _"He was on one of their R & D teams."_

Now it was Mana's turn to pause, her brain once again refusing to cooperate. "What…?" she breathed. "But he…he never said anything about _that!_"

"_I know, and he had a good reason,"_ Sid informed her. _"When Stark Industries went down after Second Impact, a lot of really bad people took it apart what was left, trying to get their hands on anything they could turn into weapons. But before that happened, the head of the company gave certain people – people he trusted – certain pieces of his technology. To make sure that they never fell into the wrong hands." _Giving Mana a moment or so to digest this, the AI girl went on to explain, _"And your father – Dr. Kirishima - he was one of them."_

"So…you're saying that…all of my dad's tech…?" Mana began, hardly able to breathe. Her mind already making connections elsewhere. To stories she had been told when she had been a little girl. Stories of the days before Second Impact had laid waste to the world.

"_Right. He based it on the research done back at Stark Industries,"_ Sid confirmed, a frown to her words. _"But…what I don't get is how Gendo or one of his buddies could have gotten hold of one of the old prototypes? And why use it now?"_

"Maybe…maybe they didn't," Mana breathed, the phone nearly falling from her hand as her mind put the pieces together. "Because…someone else out there _gave _it to them."

"_Mana?" _ Sid asked, her confusion evident.

"Your arc reactor, Sid. We didn't build it, or the one in the War Machine armor," Mana murmured, torn between being stunned by her revelation and feeling really stupid that she hadn't thought of these things before. "And Dr. Tanaka…there's no way he could have done it on his own."

"Mana?" Touji spoke up, his expression hardening at the mentioning of his armor.

"_But…if that's true, then…who could have done it?"_ Sid demanded, sounding as shocked as Mana felt. _"Who else has access to Stark technology?"_

"I don't know…but I _do _know where to start looking," Mana muttered heavily. "Sid, tell Misato and Fuyutsuki I'm on my way! And tell them I'm going to need the fastest plane they've got!" Not giving her friend a chance to question her, the auburn-haired girl slammed the receiver down before turning to her unexpected guest. "Touji, listen, I'm sorry, but -!"

"What was that all about?" Touji demanded, his brows furrowed with annoyance. "And what's this about my armor?"

"Touji, please! I don't have time to explain right now!" Mana countered, already moving towards the door. "Look, I promise I'll explain everything later, but now -!"

"_No!_ You're not doing this to me! Not again!" Touji snarled, grabbing Mana by her wrist and yanking her back. Very nearly sent sprawling to the floor, she was able to do nothing but allow herself to be spun about and forced to meet her friend's furious gaze. "What's going on, Mana? And _don't _tell me it's nothing!"

Opening her mouth to speak, Mana found herself coming very close to saying nothing. To telling Touji that it was classified, that she couldn't say anything about it, and that was that. But as she hovered there, caught in her friend's firm grasp, his angry words from before returned to her. And she knew that keeping him in the dark was not only the wrong thing for her to do, it would be cruel after everything he had done to help her.

"I…I can't tell you what's going on, Touji. Mainly because there's a lot I'm not sure of myself," Mana admitted, the truth coming with a measure of difficulty. "But I can tell you that something bad is going on right now. And that…if we're going to be able to stop it, I'm going to have to go somewhere. To get some answers."

"Answers?" Touji repeated, somewhat bemused and not just a little annoyed. "What's that supposed to mean? What answers? And _where _are you going, anyway?"

Pressing her lips together, Mana eventually answered, "To America, Touji."

xxxxxxx

As Misato drove through the NERV airfield, passing by many of the aircraft kept there for the disposal, she couldn't help but have a bad feeling about this. A mood that was only made worse by their surroundings.

It was late at night and the sky was cloudy, and looked like a storm was getting ready to break. The various airplanes and helicopters there were dark shadows against the gloom. And even the airplane they were headed towards, marked by the surrounding spotlights, looked sinister that evening. It was a small, one man craft, its aerodynamics so perfectly designed that it looked like was going at mach five, just sitting on the ground. A dangerous thing on a dangerous night.

'_Then again, considering what's been going on, I guess that fits,'_ Misato eventually decided even as she turned towards the girl sit behind her. "Are you sure you know what you're doing, Mana?"

"No, not really," Mana admitted with a shrug. "But it's the best idea I can come up with right now. And I don't think we have time to wait around and try and come up with something better."

Knowing that feeling painfully well, Misato faked a smile and told her, "Well, I hope you find what you're looking for." Continuing their approach to the craft Fuyutsuki had arranged for Mana's use, the Major then asked, "And on an unrelated note, why aren't you taking Sid with you?"

"Sid may not be the best fighter, but she's the only one other than myself who knows who War Machine really is," Mana answered. "In fact, I've already asked her to give him the rundown on everything that's been going on, and to have him ready. Just in case." With this plain, logical explanation out in the open, Mana then lowered her eyes somewhat. A slight sadness in her voice as she added, "But… more importantly…this is something I need to do alone."

As the car stopped, Misato turned to the younger girl. "Why?"

"Because, if I'm right, then I'm not the first one to wear this kind of armor. And if I'm not, I want to know who did it first," Mana answered with a determined edge in her voice as she opened the door. Grabbing hold of the metal case on the floor, she then climbed out of the car and turned towards her means of transport. "So, that's it, huh?"

"Yup," Misato replied. "I know it might not look like much, but it's the best we could get on such short notice."

As she walked towards the plane, Misato fell into step beside her. Looking over the plane with a critical eye, Mana turned her head and asked, "What do I need to know about this thing?"

"Well, it'll get you there, and it'll do it fast," Misato explained humorlessly. "It won't bring you back, though. Since we have to keep this top secret, we can't file a flight plan. Which means that you won't be able to refuel without having a bunch of people in high places asking a bunch of questions that we can't afford to answer." As Mana climbed the ladder and got into the cockpit, the Major grimaced and added, "To make matters worse, you'll be going in under the radar, as it were. Which means that, if you're spotted, you'll be lucky if the Americans don't try to shoot you down."

"Swell," Mana muttered as she strapped the supplied helmet on to her head and started powering up the jet's various systems. "And if that _does _happen? What are my options?"

"Three choices. The first is to run; the leading edge of the wings are coated with the same material as the Evangelion armor," Misato explained. "You're good to mach 8, but you'll have to punch your drop tanks and you'll run out of onboard fuel in three minutes. The second choice is to try to use NERV authorization codes; if it's an honest mistake, you may be able to talk your way out of it." Then the Major frowned unhappily. "But with everything that's been happening, I'd say that if you get shot at, it'll by someone who's gunning for you for a reason."

"In which case…?" Mana asked, already not looking forward to this.

"Your third choice; fight back. You've got a pair of twenty millimeter cannons, fifty shots each," Misato explained with a definite frown. "Still, the longer you can go without having to show who you really are, the better. So try not to get shot at."

'_Makes sense,'_ Mana thought, nodding as she closed the canopy. _'__If anybody figured out that Iron Maiden was piloting this thing, SEELE might have the Americans try to cram a nuke down my throat.'_

As soon as the jet was ready for takeoff, Mana gave the Major a thumbs-up. Nodding and returning with a salute of her own, Misato returned to the car, and pulled back to a safe distance. And from there, she watched as the young superwoman taxied into position before finally launching herself into the night.

"Good luck, Mana," Misato murmured as she watched the jet fly off. Thinking of the people out there that wished the armor-user and the rest of the world such evil. "Just before sure and get back here in one piece."

Xxxxxxx

'_Mana, you better come home safely!'_ Sid thought somewhat irritably. Hating the position her friend had put her in._ 'Because I'm gonna tear you a new one for making me do this!'_

While Sid was contemplating this, along with all the things she wanted to say and do to her friend when she returned, Touji frowned and looked down at her where she sat. "Alright, Sid!" the jock grumbled, his hands at his hips. "First Mana blows me off before heading to NERV, telling me that you'll explain everything later. And then you call me out here in the middle of the night! Do you know what I had to do in order to sneak out without my dad catching me?"

Wincing at Touji's ire, the AI girl was sorely tempted to shout right back at him. But at the same, she wasn't surprised that he was upset. Before she had taken off, Mana had explained to her Touji's reaction to not being summoned when they were in danger. And in a way, Sid felt that his concern for them was rather sweet. Of course, this didn't make dealing with the irate jock any easier.

"I'm sorry about this, Touji," Sid told him earnestly. "But what happened last night was…really sensitive. I couldn't take the chance of anyone else learning about this!"

"Hey! I already get that there's something nasty going on here! Mana looked like a wreck before, and you're not looking much better!" Touji declared. Snorting loudly, the jock shook his head before he sat down next to Sid. "Dammit…all you two had to do was _ask _me…"

"I know that. Heck, we _both _know that, Touji!" Sid returned, knowing full well that she had looked better. Her head was still bandaged up, and her head was hurting somewhat from having electrodes implanted into it. Never mind the consequences of sheer exhaustion, signaled by the bags under her eyes. "But…well…let's just say that it's been one of those weeks."

"No, let's _not _just say that!" Touji countered gruffly. "C'mon, Sid! I'm not in the mood for any mysteries! So are you gonna tell me what's going on or what?"

"Okay, okay! I get the idea!" Sid protested, her head hurting a bit more. Sighing, she took a moment to gather herself up. Finally, she began to give Touji a basic overview of what had happened. She didn't dare go into the specifics, such as SEELE's plans or exactly why the Commander had been imprisoned, but she did tell him about the Angel's attack, as well as that Gendo had broken out of NERV with the help of something powered by an arc reactor. "Anyway, that's why Mana's gone to America. To find out who built the arc reactor for your armor. And mine."

Blinking in confusion, Touji frowned and responded, "What? Now, wait a minute! I thought your friend Tanaka built them!"

Sid leaned back and looked up at the stars, her ponytail trailing down nearly to the ground as she stared to the heavens. "That's the problem. Dr. Tanaka built the War Machine armor, but he didn't have the means to build its arc reactor, or the one for my own armor. Which means that he had to have had help."

"What?" Touji gaped, frowning at the AI girl. "Are you sure about that?"

"Positive. He had the equipment to build your armor, but the tools and materials needed to make a fully functional arc reactor to power those kind weapons…he just didn't have them," Sid confirmed. Giving Touji a moment to digest these facts, she then frowned heavily. "Still, I can't believe I didn't even think of that before." The sound of surprise was heard coming from the jock's throat, to which Sid gave a helpless sigh. "I was so focused on getting Mana back at the time, I didn't even think about it when Tanaka came up with those reactors for us. I never would have made that mistake as a pure AI."

Another heavy sigh escaped Sid's lips. And was soon followed by the feel of a comforting hand upon her shoulder. "Well, I suppose that's the price of being human," Touji sighed as she looked up at him. "But even so, I'm glad to have you around." Shrugging helplessly, the jock smiled and added, "I mean…as much as I hate to admit, I never would have been able to get her out on my own. And besides, you're the smartest person I know, meaty or otherwise. So I guess it all works out."

Sid laughed softly and gave him a grateful look. "Thanks, I appreciate that… I think," she smiled. Then, exhaling sharply, she got back to business. "So anyway, whoever it was who busted Gendo out was powered by an arc reactor. And except for the Guardsmen, we have the only three I know of. And that's why Mana went to track down whoever made them."

Nodding as he considered this, Touji eventually said. "Okay, I get that part. But why did Mana go there alone?"

"Now _that _part, I've been wondering about as well," Sid confessed. "I think Mana knows something, but she's not telling me."

"Hmph. That sure sounds familiar," Touji grumbled less than good-naturedly. "So what are we supposed to do until she gets back?"

"We've gotta keep up appearances, make it look like Iron Maiden is still in Japan," Sid explained, gesturing to the two metallic suitcases sitting next to the bench; the one Touji had brought, and the one she herself had set down before sitting. "The last thing we want is for SEELE or whoever Gendo's buddies are to realize that…"

"Wait a minute," Touji broke in, his brows furrowed. "What was that?"

"What's what?" Sid wondered, annoyed at having been interrupted. "Touji, what is…?"

This time, Sid cut herself off, her ears pricking at what had caught her friend's attention. A slight rustling noise that was coming from the park immediately behind them. The two teens looked about, searching for whoever or whatever was causing the disturbance. Then Sid caught sight of some bushes moving…just before all hell broke loose.

Gunfire rang out and bullets peppered the back of the bench, sending Sid's pulse right through the roof. Frozen with surprise, she was then yanked from her seat as Touji grabbed her and flung the both of them behind a cement road barrier.

Stunned, Sid took a moment to evaluate the situation, glancing about just enough to realize that while Touji's dive had gotten them to relative safety, he had also put them where their metal cases were out of reach. "Aw, damn!" Touji breathed, wincing as another round of gunfire blew by just overhead. "I guess Mana was right to be worried!"

Not bothering to comment on this, Sid decided to try and figure out the nature of their attacks. Peaking over the top of the barrier and beyond the bench, she glanced about the area, trying to catch a glimpse of their attackers. All she could see was the local plantlife, and was soon rewarded for her efforts by a flurry of bullets flying over her head. Quickly withdrawing, she looked at a stunned Touji, who had his back to the barrier. "It sounds like an MP5, which is a pretty common weapon. No telling who our attackers are, or who they're with."

"Um…does being a huge, armored dude narrow the list of suspects down?" Touji asked nervously. Looking at him perplexedly, Sid then saw that he was pointing at something behind them. Turning even further, the AI girl discovered that her friend was presently staring down the barrel of an MP5, held by the aforementioned 'huge armored dude'.

The both of them standing up slowly, Sid evaluated their foe. He looked like he was wearing some kind of special forces uniform, albeit a bulky one. And if the faint glow from the chest of it was any indication, it had a few surprises.

"Yeah, it probably does," agreed the man who, without warning or provocation, fired two shots into Touji's leg. The boy cried out in agony, and was promptly silenced when their aggressor backhanded him over the barrier wall. Grinning smugly, he then turned to the now-terrified Sid and grabbed her by the arm. "You're coming with me. Ikari would like to speak with you about your friend."

Stunned and horrified, Sid looked towards where Touji had been sent flying before staring at the armored figure. "Y-you shot him…"

Yanking her forward, her captor shrugged. "I've got orders. Ikari doesn't want any witnesses, and he should bleed out soon enough." He started dragging her towards the road, using his free hand to work his headset. "I've got the package," he spoke into what had to be some kind of radio. "I need pickup. And make sure you grab those two cases."

While whomever her captor was talking to responded, Sid stood there, still trapped by his grip, waiting, staring at him. This man had shot her friend. The friend who had helped save Mana's life, who was the only reason she was still alive, who had taken both Mana and herself in when they had nowhere else to go. A friend who was now lying somewhere helplessly, slowly bleeding to death.

As these thoughts ran their course, something very human snapped within Sid. And as she looked him, saw how distracted he was with his radio, how completely unconcerned he was over what he had done, she howled with rage. She didn't care that there was no way for her to escape right now, she didn't care that she was five-nothing and that he had about a foot and a half on her. All she cared about was that he had hurt, possibly killed, another of the precious people in her life, and she was going to make him suffer.

Tearing her arm free of his grip, Sid leapt up at her captor. Her tan NERV uniform was quickly splashed with crimson as her rage-fueled fist connected with the soldier's cheekbone, splitting the skin open in a shower of blood. Her foot shot out as she jumped and kicked the gun from the man's grip and continued on its course to the side of his head.

Unfortunately for Sid and her need for vengeance, her opponent was obviously well trained. Despite her initial success, the man recovered and raised his arm, grabbing the girl's leg. Turning Sid's momentum against her, he sent her flying into the barrier. Crashing into the cement, she rolled to the ground and was still, her forehead split and bleeding. With the steady rise and fall of her chest the only sign she was still among the living.

While the first soldier was grumbling at his own inattentiveness, placing his hand to his wounded face, another armored as he was approached. He was carrying a red and gold metallic case, the one Sid had brought with her to the meeting. "There was only the one, sir. Here it is."

Grunting his acknowledgement, the first soldier hefted Sid up onto his shoulder before tearing off a part of her sleeve. Wiping his cheek with it and studied the blood on it, he realized that he was going to require more than a few stitches when this mission was over. "The little bitch got me good," he admitted grudgingly. "But I got her back."

Nodding, the second soldier turned and watched as a van approached. Their ride out of there. "Let's get out of here already. The sooner we get out of here, the better I'll like it."

"I hear _that!"_ the first soldier agreed, already marching towards the van with his prisoner. Only to be brought up short as something his companion said registered with him. "Wait," he started, having a bad feeling about this. "You said you only got the one?"

"Yeah, he only got the one," answered a different voice. A metallic, _raging _voice, that was followed by a brief gasp of horror, and then the sounds of bones crunching and loud, wet, splatter. "Now, put the lady down, or I'm going to stand on your feet and pull your head off."

The soldier turned, and saw a pool of blood where his comrade had been. Standing in it in all his horrifying majesty, a bloody smear decorating his armor was War Machine. Immediately realizing that the boy he had shot wasn't quite as dead as he thought, the soldier smirked. He had been kind of hoping to have a chance to see what his armor was capable of in actual combat, and as he dropped Sid from his shoulder onto the pavement, he decided that now was as good a time as any to find out. "Alright. Let's see what you're packin'."

War Machine looked at Sid, his suits sensors showing that she wasn't in great shape. She wasn't as bad off as he was, but the sooner they both got to a hospital, the better. He made a fist and stared at the soldier, conveying as much of his rage as he could through his mask. He took three steps, and grabbed the soldier by his neck and lifted him, armor and all, into the air. "You made two big mistakes, douchebag. The first was that you didn't aim for the head."

"And the second?" the man asked smugly.

"You struck a lady."

Before the soldier could respond, War Machine had thrown him into the van hard enough to bend the frame of the vehicle. Not wasting any time, he then knelt down and gently lifted Sid's battered form and cradled her securely in his arms. The adrenaline being pumped into him by the suit was the only thing keeping him awake, and that wasn't going to last much longer.

With Sid in hand, War Machine paused just long enough to take her case from what was left of the second soldier. Then he began jogging as fast as his armor would allow him to towards the Eva lift at the end of the street. His vision already swimming as he set Sid down, he bent down and jammed his hands into the gap in the armored doors. Grunting with the effort, he peeled them back wide enough to fit through. Standing back up he swayed again and mentally called up a status display.

**Femoral Artery Damaged: Tourniquet applied**

**Estimated Useful Consciousness: 4 Minutes**

"Aw, damn," Touji muttered as he picked Sid back up. Knowing that this was not one of his better ideas, he slid the both of them into the shaft and entered freefall.

Xxxxxxx

As she continued to fly towards America, Mana found herself fighting an enemy more insidious than anything NERV or SEELE had let loose on her to date.

Monotony.

'_C'mon, c'mon,'_ Mana grumbled inwardly as her high-speed jet made its way across the ocean and towards the answers she was desperately in need of. Reminding herself time and again that the craft she was in was the probably the fastest thing at NERV. Which, unfortunately, wasn't nearly fast enough to suit her impatience. _'Dammit…how much longer until I get there, anyway?'_

Frowning in frustration, Mana checked the clock, as well as the GPS systems. Despite the fact that she felt like they were going nowhere fast, the readouts told her that she was rapidly closing in on American airspace. It wouldn't be long before she would be in range of their radar.

'_Which means I better get ready. Just in case,'_ Mana decided as she worked the controls. Reducing altitude, she quickly went over her plan. Since there was no way that she would be able to use her craft to return, she saw little point in trying to land it safely. Especially when odds were good that she would soon have people putting a bunch of holes in the jet, anyway.

So if the jet was pretty much doomed to be destroyed, why not make the best of it?

Double-checking the autopilot, Mana made sure that it would be ready at a moment's notice. As soon as she was certain that she wouldn't be putting anyone in danger, she would ditch the jet in her armor, and let it go about its merry way and crash either into the ocean or into an empty patch of land. And with the resulting roaring fire and destruction keeping whatever local authorities busy, she would have a much easier time getting where she needed to go.

'_That is, assuming everything goes according to plan,'_ Mana thought unhappily, fully aware that pretty much nothing had gone smoothly for her in recent times. Not since her father had died to save her and Sid.

Father. Just thinking of him made Mana frown unhappily. Sid's recent revelations giving her much fuel for thought, and not of the good kind. The fact that he had kept such an important of his life secret from her was not an easy thing for her to accept.

'_Then again, he never told me about the I-System. At least…not until he didn't have a choice,'_ Mana thought unhappily. Wondering just how much else her father had kept from her.

Which was just another reason to hate the long trip. Because this sort of thing was the last thing Mana wanted to spend time thinking about just then.

"I should've brought a magazine," Mana grumbled, if for no other reason than to hear her own voice.

Time passed slowly, with Mana spending it by constantly checking how much longer she had to go, and trying not to worry about her friends back in Japan or about what other secrets her father might have had. All of which left her fighting the urge to let the autopilot take over long enough for her to take a nap.

Just as Mana was thinking that a device to reduce her dependency on sleep would be her next project, a loud beeping pierced her consciousness. "What the -?" she spat out, coming to full alertness in an instant as she looked at her display. And blanched when she saw several blips on the radar. All of which were coming her way.

"Oh, _shit_…!" Mana hissed as she looked up as her jet closed the distance towards the enigmatic blips. Already having a bad feeling as she looked at the formations employed by the blips, as well as the sheer numbers of them.

At the speed her jet and the approaching ones were moving, it wasn't long before Mana's welcoming party came into view. At which she blanched at the realization that she was being confronted by military craft.

"_Oh, shit!"_ Mana gasped with greater force, her mind already awhirl as she tried to make sense of this development. This couldn't a standard American security force. There were far too many of them, and she was only just within American airspace. There was no way they could have detected her launched an intercept when she was so far out.

'_Which means…they must've been waiting for me!'_ Mana realized, flush with horror as her mind processed the logical results. _'Someone contacted them, let them know I was on the way, and told them to…!'_

Mana couldn't even finish her thought before her mind exploded with horror. For the only way that someone could have informed anyone that she was heading to America was if that someone had had direct access to the required information. Someone within NERV. Someone that was high enough in the command structure to be informed of her journey.

Someone in NERV, possibly one of the people she had trusted with her life…was a traitor. And as soon as she realized this, she knew that whomever it was that had betrayed her could also do the same to the ones who mattered most to her.

All these things registered with Mana in rapid succession, numbing her mind for the brief time needed for her and the flight of approaching jets to close in on each other. And with a warning blare, her own jet informed her that her opposition had confirmed missile lock on her.

"Acck!" Mana screeched, instinctively diving even as she saw a series of missiles lance out towards her. Her heartbeat going through the roof as she dived, the g-forces pressing her into her seat. Already going through her limited options.

Retreat wouldn't be possible. Her jet was drained from the oceanic transit, and would never be able to return to Japan on what fuel remained. And there was absolutely no way that she could hope to shoot down all the jets that were banking to engage her. Which left Mana with just one option.

'_Gotta go with a hard burn! Get as far inland as I can before this thing runs out of gas!'_ Mana gritted as she pulled out of her dive. _'And hope like hell I can get lose these creeps in the process!'_ For a moment, she considered punching her jet up to maximum, but then decided against it. She was now in enemy territory, and there was no telling how many bases would be mobilized against her. Speed alone wouldn't be enough to keep her safe if all it did was send her into another trap that much faster.

'_Still, I better get as much distance as I can!'_ Mana thought grimly as she aimed her jet towards land. _'And in the meantime…!'_

Toggling her radio, Mana quickly opened a channel to NERV Headquarters in Tokyo-3. "NERV! Come in please!" she cried out urgently. "This is 4500-ZG to NERV Headquarters, Japan! Do you copy?"

"We copy you, Mana!" came Makoto's voice. NERV's resident otaku sounding uncharacteristically frantic on the other end. "What's the situation?"

Wincing as another series of missiles were launched, Mana retorted, "The situation is that I've got the Air Force breathing down my neck!" Banking hard to avoid a barrage of gunfire, the armor-user gritted. "Look, put me through to the Commander, okay?"

"I'm on it," Makoto replied tensely. His voice basically screaming 'trouble' to her.

'_Dammit! What kind of mess have we gotten into this time?'_ Mana wondered. Having a bad feeling that she would find out a lot sooner than she would be happy with.

Xxxxxxx

Frowning as Makoto carried on a hushed conversation she couldn't really make out, Misato forced herself to focus on the other two members of the bridge staff. "We've picked up two arc signatures in the vicinity of elevator C-2!" Aoba reported nervously, not even wasting the time to look up at her. "One is the signature we have on file for War Machine and is in the shaft! Descending rapidly!" With a hushed gasp, he concluded, "The other matches… the signature Sid found in the detention block!"

Furrowing her brows in concentration, Misato asked, "Do we have any cameras in the area?" Aoba nodded quickly. "Give me a feed." A moment later, an image was brought up on the main screen. The armored doors covering the shaft had been torn open and there was a small puddle of blood next to it.

Suddenly there was a flash of light, and the image was replaced by a field of static. "Ma'am, sensors read a massive surge of arc energy!" Maya yelled from her station. "It happened right before the camera went down!"

"Commander, I've got Iron Maiden on the line here!" Makoto reported, looking up at Gendo's replacement. "She says its urgent!"

"Patch her into me," Tai replied, once again perfectly emulating Gendo. "Major, take care of the situation."

Glancing up at Tai, and needing just a moment to remind herself that this wasn't actually Gendo she was dealing, Misato frowned as she took in the look his face. A look that told her all she needed to know. _You know who he is, don't you?_ Grimacing at the number of secrets that still pervaded NERV, the Major soon put them out of her mind and got down to business. "Deploy crash nets at the bottom of shaft C-2! I want a security and medical team on ready immediately! Send them to the elevator, and tell them to be ready for armed resistance! And make sure that Ritsuko's on that team!" Misato ordered tersely. "Take any injured directly to NERV Medical, and tell the doctors there to be ready to receive casualties."

"Yes, ma'am!" Maya returned, already implementing her orders.

"Good! Tell them I'll meet them there!" Misato told her, something that gave Maya pause. Before the mousy tech could say anything, however, the Major turned for the door, and a moment later, had left the bridge.

Tai stared after her for a second, and as soon as she was gone, and slid into his best Gendo expression. "Deploy Unit-01 and have the Third Child scout the surface! Use shaft C-3 and upload all relevant sensor data!" Watching as his own orders were put into action, Tai turned his attention to the girl who had created him. "Now, Iron Maiden, what's your situation?"

Xxxxxxx

War Machine was falling fast. Far _too_ fast, in fact. Were he un-laden and uninjured, he would have had no trouble breaking his fall, but he was neither of those things. It getting harder to think straight with each passing second, and his concentration. Making it that much more impossible to make sure Sid came down to the ground as anything more than another stain on his armor.

'_Dammit…better do something fast…!'_ War Machine thought hazily as he balanced Sid in one arm, using his other for stability. _'If Mana finds out that I let her get killed, then…she'll…'_

Another wave of weakness assaulted War Machine's mind, preventing him from completing his thought. Grimacing at this, at his own human frailties, he mustered up all the stubbornness that he could, and tried to find a way out of this mess. With a thought, he fired his suit's thrusters as hard as they would burn.

They immediately began to slow down, but it wasn't enough. They were still going way too fast. Realizing this, War Machine turned himself around in flight and cradled Sid as they fell. Then he gave a mental command to the armor, causing it to eject all of the suit's extra weapons and ammo packages, anything that would weigh him down.

Freed of the extra burden, the armor's thrusters slowed them down that much more. And while this still wasn't enough, it did buy them enough time for the crash netting to be deployed. With a sharp jerk, War Machine hit and then tore through the first layer of crash netting, then a second, and a third. Each successive impact bled off the kinetic energy he had still far too much of, and allowed him to slow down without killing himself or Sid.

As he crashed into the last net, it managed to hold, keeping the ravaged teens from hitting the hard, metal floor. With this, the boy within the War Machine armor gasped in realization. He had done it. They were within NERV. And he had saved Sid. And more importantly, when he saw the medics approaching the two of them, he knew that she would get the attention she needed.

'_I…I did it…'_ Touji thought, unable to make sense of the words spoken by the medics as they raced about them both. _'Looks like…I don't have to worry about…Mana being…mad at…me…after…all…'_

This was the last thing he was able to think. For, even as the medics struggled with the bulky armor he wore, they were unable to see that its wearer had passed out.

Xxxxxxx

Mana gritted her teeth as she hauled back on her stick, narrowly evading a burst of cannonfire from behind her. As she came out of her climb she growled her response to Tai. "My situation is that I'm stuck in a frickin' bullet festival up here!" she declared before banking to the side, just barely avoiding being perforated by another attack. "A whole flight of jets came at me before I even reached the States! They _knew_ I was coming! Which means -!"

"_We've been compromised, I know!"_ Tai replied in a slightly panicked voice, abandoning the Gendo-mode that he knew his creator hated. _'I'm sorry! We just found out ourselves! We're under attack here right now!" _ A blast of static punctuated his words as he went on. _"Somebody with an arc-powered exoskeleton tore up Sid and War Machine pretty bad! Misato's gone topsi-!" _

Another burst of static cut Tai as Mana's plane shook from an impact. A volley of bullets had ripped into the jet, presumably destroying the satellite transceiver. But that was not what was important to her. What was important was the last bit of news Tai had been able to relay to her. That Touji and Sid had been hurt.

'_Dammit, dammit, no!'_ Mana growled, wishing that there was something nearby that she could afford to tear apart with her bare hands. The knowledge that the two most precious people in her life had been attacked. While she was on the other side of the world, helpless to do anything to help them.

This outrage brought back all the pain she had suffered since the day she had lost her home, her father, her very place in the world. An overwhelming wave of seething hatred flooded her mind, and threatened to drive her to madness. _'No!' _she growled, throwing a mental net over her fury. _'I can't lose it! Not right now! I have to keep focused! I have to get away from these creeps before I can do anything else!'_ Hoping it would serve as well as a bucket of cold water in her face, Mana looked hard at her radar screen. Looked at all the blips that were intent on her destruction. Dozens of contacts in front of her, behind her, and under her.

As she looked at the screen, her rage ebbed and reason returned. Just enough for her to think, _'But none above me.'_

With a vindictive smirk, Mana pushed her throttle to the locks, and pointed the nose of the plane skyward, popping flares and chaff indiscriminately as she did so. Her pursuers took the bait and followed her into her mad climb, and were immediately blinded and confused by the display she had left in her wake. And thus were caught completely off guard when she immediately reversed her maneuver and pointed the nose of her craft at the ground. The American jets overshot by nearly a mile and a half before they could correct and go after her.

As her altimeter clicked down below 10,000 feet, Mana pulled back on her stick and leveled off at only 50 feet above the tree tops, vapor trailing off her wing tips as the friction flash-boiled the light fog settling in over the mountains below. Looking at her radar screen, she saw she only had moments before the American fighters would re-acquire her, but she had plan.

Coming up on a valley, Mana dove into it at high speed, and punched her drop tanks, which were still a quarter full. With the jet's load now lightened, she then pulled out and ramped up to maximum throttle.

She was rewarded with a large explosion moments after she left the valley, an awesome blaze that obscured everything behind it. For a moment, Mana allowed herself a moment of relief in her escape.

Relief was short-lived when her RADAR showed her that she hadn't evaded her pursuers. To make matters worse, Mana now had far much less fuel and time in which to do so.

Once again struggling to keep her anger in its place and out of her way, Mana decided that desperate times called for desperate measures. Switching on her radio, she asked in awkward English, "I don't suppose we can talk about this?"

Unsurprisingly, Mana's only answer was the warning tone of a missile lock. "Okay, then!" she gritted, tapping a short sequence into the bulky package attached to the front of her flight suit. "I guess we do this the hard way!"

The instant the sequence was imput, the package opened up, and the armor it contained started to unpack and form around Mana's flight suit. Her HUD started flashing angrily, indicating to her that the missile was close and her engine was beginning to overheat from being throttled up so quickly. Realizing that she didn't have much time left, the armor-user pulled off her flight helmet and threw it to her feet, uncaring of the fact that it blocked the rudder pedals. Within moments her armor had finished unpacking, and its own helmet wrapped around her head.

The last bit if armor sealed in place, Iron Maiden reached up and yanked down on the yellow and black striped ejection handles at the top of her seat. The jet's canopy exploded open, and moments later she was launched free on the ejection seat.

Hitting the air stream at supersonic speeds would have killed a normal person, but her armor afforded her the protection to survive it. That didn't mean it was fun. The wind hit Iron Maiden like a Mack truck, spinning her around in her ejection seat until she disconnected her harness and came free of it, moments before a salvo of missiles impacted the jet she'd so recently been piloting.

As soon as she was clear, her suit deployed air brakes and slowed Iron Maiden down to a more reasonable speed, at which point alarms started screaming in her helmet. "Not out of the woods yet," she grumbled, noting the missiles that were already heading her way. "Note to self; next upgrade is going to be stealth plating." With that in mind, she raised her armor's shields and charging up her maser rifle as she turned about to face this new threat.

Gritting her teeth as she stared down the mass of firepower being loosed upon her, Iron Maiden took aim, tightened her finger on the trigger, and fired her rifle. A beam of turquoise light issued forth from her weapon, impacting and obliterating the lead missile. Her aim shifted, and she fired again, and again, and again.

The missiles kept coming and her rifle began to overheat from the repeated firing, something it had never been designed to do. Seeing that it couldn't take much more, Iron Maiden stowed it on her back and switched to firing repulsor blasts from her hands. Missile after missile was shattered from the sky, but they were still too close. Her repulsors simply didn't have the range needed to deal with them effectively.

Finally, inevitably, a shot got through. A missile slammed into Iron Maiden's back before she had been to turn around. Her shields were able to absorb the force of the explosion entirely, but the maser rifle didn't fare nearly as well. The jolt was the last blow to the already overstressed charge coils, which immediately went into a cascade overload.

Her HUD warning her of this, Iron Maiden sucked in a horrified breath before reaching behind her and detaching the rifle, tensed to fling it away. She almost made it; just as she released the gun, it exploded, the force easily overpowering her momentarily weakened shields, shattering her armor and disabling her flight systems.

The last things the girl known as Iron Maiden saw before she blacked out were several large sections of crimson armor spiraling away as she fell from the sky.

* * *

Yeah, it's like that.


	17. Bleed Out::Second Chance

Chapter 17 is here.

as per usual, thanks to orionpax.

* * *

As Misato entered the bottom of shaft C-2, the first thing she did was look around, try and make sense of the controlled chaos that reigned down there. Medics were running around like crazy, their words indiscernible as they lifted Sid down from the crash net that hung just above the floor. Several more medics were there with two stretchers, and thankfully enough, Ritsuko was there as well, and was already making her way up to the net. Four additional arms protruding from her back.

"How's Sid doing?" Ritsuko demanded as she slid her human arms underneath the armored form of War Machine, the additional arms positioning themselves under his head and legs. And while Misato was still stunned to see her friend in this alien state, she quickly realized that she was trying to make sure that the armored warrior remained as still as possible as she moved him.

"Breathing's shallow," one of the medics replied as they strapped her to the stretcher. "Heartbeat is steady, but it looks like she's taken a bad shot to the head."

"Understood," Ritsuko returned as she lifted War Machine up, acting like he weighed no more than a babe in arms.

Taking a moment to envy the doctor's superhuman strength, Misato then frowned and advanced towards her. "Ritsuko! Status!"

"Sid's hurt pretty bad, but she looks stable. But we're going to have to stitch up that wound in her forehead before she loses more blood," Ritsuko explained tersely. Glancing down at her armored burden, she frowned unhappily. "I can't tell you how bad War Machine's injuries are until I get him out of the armor. But apparently, he's unconscious."

Liking this less and less, Misato quickly considered the situation. "Alright, then. You better get them to NERV Medical right away. I'll deal with our unwanted guest."

"What?" Ritsuko frowned instantly. "Misato, wait! I can help!" Grimacing and revealing a set of razor-sharp fangs, she pleaded, "Just give me a few minutes to get them to the doctors, and I'll -!"

"No, Rits! It's too risky!" Misato told her, despite the fact that she truly did appreciate the offer. "We can't afford to have you spotted outside like this! If any of those jerks get away from here, or if they have some kind of remote surveillance, and if they find out about you, about what you can do…!"

Wincing as Misato trailed off, her words leaving all kinds of dread possibilities unspoken, the faux-blonde growled deep in her throat, something that had her looking like a frustrated predator. "But what are _you_ going to do?" Ritsuko demanded. "The Evas aren't capable of dealing with a human-sized target, and the Guardsmen are still offline! And if you go out on your own, or even with Section 2 -!"

"Don't worry about me, Rits! I've got a plan!" Misato declared. Knowing that every second that went by was another chance for their enemy to either escape or cause them further damage. "Just focus on getting Sid and War Machine taken care of! As fast as you can!"

Growling deep in her throat, Ritsuko hesitated for a moment before looking her friend in the eye. "You better come back in one piece, Misato," she told her menacingly. Then, to Misato's surprise, she bent down and set War Machine down on the ground before her. "Bring Sid over here! Put her down next to me!" The medics hesitated for a moment, looking amongst themselves. They looked ready to question the doctor's orders, but one look at her feral eyes was all it took to still their tongues. Instead, they did as they were told, placing Sid right next to her. "You three! Get in here! Right next to me!" Ritsuko ordered, gesturing at three of them. Numbly, they moved up to the faux-blonde, and stood right next to her.

Uncertain as to what her friend was doing, Misato simply stood there and watched as she spread out her four arachnoid arms as far out as she could, her brows furrowed in concentration. "Misato, you and the others better step back!" she gritted tersely. Not sure what to make of this demand, the Major silently heeded it, marginally aware of the others doing the same. "Damn, I'm not going to enjoy this…!"

An instant later, the air swirled about the faux-blonde. Before Misato could even wonder what was going on, the space around Ritsuko and the others seemed to open up, and there was a flash of light, a whooshing of air…and they were all gone.

Her mind temporarily emptied, Misato and the others stood there, staring in amazement at where Ritsuko and the others had been. Air snapped as it filled the space where they had been, but other than a few drops of Sid's blood, there was no sign that they had ever been there.

'_Damn. Never once thought that I'd be jealous of Ritsuko! Especially after everything she's told me about what she went through because of Gendo!'_ Misato thought unhappily. Deciding that she was going to get a complete list of the doctor's powers, and maybe a study guide to go along with it, she then turned to the medics that remained. "Alright! The rest of you, head for the Eva cages!"

The remaining medics required a moment to shake themselves from their confused stupor, but after a moment, they all snapped to attention. "Yes, sir!"

Xxxxxxx

"_I swear, I'll never get used to teleporting!'_ Ritsuko grumbled inwardly as she appeared within NERV Medical.

When she had first discovered her bizarre powers, Ritsuko had been quick to start practicing with them, learning as much as she could about her new form and capabilities. And while she was quite fond of her new body, and had been hopeful that her new powers might one day help to end Gendo's madness, she wasn't nearly as proficient at them as she would have liked. And she certainly wasn't used to just popping from one place to another.

Judging from the fearful murmurs from the three medics she had brought along for the ride, they weren't used to it, either. Nor were the NERV Medical personnel that surrounded them.

As Ritsuko looked about, she was immediately pleased with the accuracy of her teleportation. Not only had she gotten them to NERV Medical, but she had placed them within a few meters of the Emergency Room, and hadn't bowled over anyone else with their arrival. But then the world momentarily swam before her eyes, causing her to take an involuntary step back as she brought her hand to her brow.

'_Dammit!'_ Ritsuko swore. While she had already known that teleporting five people beside herself would be a drain, she was still not in the mood for her body's complaints. _'I don't have time for this! I have to get moving!'_

With this in mind, Ritsuko looked about at the people around her. "Alright, you three! Get Sid and let's get moving!" Bending down and picking up War Machine, something that required greater effort on her part than before, the faux-blonde started forward. "Everyone, clear out of the way! Medical emergency, coming through!"

Despite her fatigue and heavy burden, Ritsuko was still outpacing the three medics accompanying; in a few seconds, she had reached the Emergency Room. Her additional arms still tasked with keeping War Machine as still as possible, the faux-blonde gently kicked the door open. To her surprise, it shot back like it had been kicked by a mule, and slammed the wall at the end of its arc. _'Not as weak as I thought.'_ Indulging in a moment of satisfaction, she looked up at the various doctors that were already present. _'Good. Looks like everything is ready!'_

"Doctor Akagi!" Looking about at the mention of her name, the Head Scientist watched as one of the doctors approached her. He had a nervous look on his face, and his gaze kept darting towards her extra arms, but he thankfully kept whatever questions or concerns he had to himself. "Major Katsuragi alerted us to your situation. We have everything in readiness."

Nodding, Ritsuko moved towards the main operating table, and gingerly deposited War Machine on it. "He's apparently unconscious. We have no idea as to his current physical condition, but we have to assume the worst," she explained as she quickly scrutinized his armor. Fortunately, it was similar enough to the Iron Maiden armor that she quickly found the various release catches. All of which should be easy enough to undo, unless the wearer prevented it.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, the doctor saw the medics carrying Sid arrive. "It looks like she's taken a blow to head. There's a deep gash on her forehead that will have to be sutured shut, and possibly a concussion." Taking a moment to wish that she had a better grasp of the exact melding of organic and mechanical components that was Sid's brain, Ritsuko went on. "Get another table in here, and get to work on her immediately!"

"Yes, sir!" the doctor's returned, already going about their duties.

As for Ritsuko, she quickly went to work herself, her four arachnoid arms once again proving themselves to be extremely dexterous and efficient. The tri-clawed 'hands' moved from one release catch to the next, requiring only a few seconds to release them. _'I just hope we're in time!'_ she thought, sweat rolling down her face as she fretted about the person who lay within the armor. _'Please, whoever you are, hold on for just a little longer!'_

As the doctor worked, she was suddenly jolted by a familiar voice that was both welcome, and yet still terrifying at times. "Seal this room now!" Tai ordered in a perfect emulation of Gendo Ikari as he entered the Emergency Room. Looking up, Ritsuko couldn't help but wince as the AI moved like her tormentor, his gaze stilling the many doctors there. "Nobody enters or exits without my express permission." Moving towards Sid, Tai's worry and concern for his fellow AI peeked out from behind the face of Gendo. Then he looked up at the doctor's already attending to her, making it clear that she had better be alright if they knew what was good for them.

Briefing wondering if her cybernetic lover enjoyed the effect his Gendo-mode had on people, Ritsuko watched as he joined her. "Anybody with security clearance below Top Secret needs to leave this room immediately," he continued, playing the role to perfection, the light that reflected off his glasses obscuring his eyes in a menacing fashion. "To anybody who remain, you are not to discuss what you are about to see here with anyone. Failure to comply with this will be punished. Harshly."

There was a slight hesitation while everything 'Commander Ikari' had said sunk in. A moment later, the lower-ranked members heeded his order, almost falling on themselves as they made a mass exodus from the Emergency Room. As for the rest of them, they knew the drill for such situations. In less than a minute, all doors to the room were securely locked, and all recording devices were shut down. Completely cutting them off from the rest of NERV.

"Dr. Akagi," Tai spoke. "Status."

Taking a moment to wish that her lover could afford to cut Gendo-mode, the stress it caused her being extremely unwelcome, Ritsuko quickly told him the situation. "Unfortunately, I don't know how War Machine's doing, so…"

"The pilot of this armor is bleeding out from a bullet wound to his femoral artery," Tai informed her tersely. "The armor is compensating, but he doesn't have much time."

Momentarily startled by this, Ritsuko then nodded. _'Right. He's an AI; he's probably already connected to the armor and gotten a status report on whoever's in there,' _she realized. She was about to start to work on the armor again, but was stopped when a hiss like the seal of a coffee can being cracked open reached her ears. Then she watched as the servos and locks on the armor disengaged themselves, the suit visibly relaxing as its seals started to breach. Darting a glance at Tai, she saw the tiniest of smiles appear briefly on his face. _'That, and a lot more.'_

Deciding that this was one ability that would come in very handy to a woman in her line of work, Ritsuko watched as the armor opened up, section by section. The helmet released first, but the lower half was left alone to preserve the tourniquet for the moment. However, the doctor's full attention was on the face of the boy she found inside. Surprise, confusion, and dismay all flashed through her mind as she again looked at Tai. _'Aw, damn…!'_ Ritsuko thought as surgeons moved to begin their work. _'Misato is going to be _extremely_ pissed off!_

Xxxxxxx

"Makoto, come in!" Misato barked into her radio as she made her way to the Eva cages. "What's going on up top?"

"Uh, let's see…" Makoto returned nervously. "Unit-01 has reached the surface, and has already taken enemy fire. There's no damage, but he hasn't been able to counterattack. The enemy keeps moving!"

Grunting her disgust, Misato picked up the pace. _'No surprise there', _she thought grimly. _'The Evas might have enough power to take this creep down, but it doesn't do them any good if he won't stay still long enough for them to take him out!'_ With this thought in mind, she growled before speaking aloud again. "Tell him to do his best. With the new sensory equipment we put in the Evas, he'll at least be able to keep tabs on the asshole!"

"You got it, Major!" Makoto told her. "Anything else?"

"Yeah! I need an M107 sent to Cage Five immediately!" Misato told him, rapidly making up her plan of action as she ran along. "And make sure that it arrives before I do!"

"An M-?" Makoto yelped in surprise. "Major, are you serious? There's no _way _an Eva can use something like that! And how do you possibly expect to be able to -!"

"Don't waste my time debating this, Makoto! I'm giving you a direct _order_ here! That should be good enough for you!" Misato snarled, wishing she were capable of physically pounding some sense into the tech. "Just hurry up and make it happen! There's some punk up there to whom I am about to deliver a .50 caliber present! So move it!"

"Yes, ma'am! Right away, ma'am!" Makoto cried out before falling silent.

Satisfied that her orders would soon be carried out, Misato moved on to the next part of her plan. "Asuka, Rei! Proceed to your Units immediately and prepare to launch!"

"Yes, ma'am," Rei responded in her usual quiet voice.

"Fine by me!" Asuka growled dangerously. "I've been waiting for the chance to kick some ass here!"

Smiling that the German was echoing her sentiments, Misato continued. "One more thing. Asuka, I'll be joining you in the cage with an equipment package. We'll be deploying together to support Shinji on the surface."

"_What?_ Support the _idiot?_ Are you -?" Asuka ranted before cutting herself off. A beat passed before she spoke again, this time with a lot less anger. "Wait. _We'll_ be deploying? As in _you and me?_ The _both _of us?"

"That's right!" Misato confirmed with a feral grin. "Don't worry! I have a plan!"

Barely paying attention as Asuka grumbled that Misato having a plan was one of the scariest ideas of all time, the Major arrived at the Eva cages. Both Unit-00 and -02 were still in place, awaiting their pilots. Which meant that Misato had enough time to execute the next part of her plan.

"You! Hello! Over there!" Misato called out when she spotted one of the maintenance workers passing by. As he paused to look at her, the look on his face asking 'me?', she grinned before starting towards him. "Yeah, you! I'm going to have to borrow your power frame for a minute!"

"Borrow my -?" the worker sputtered out as he looked down at the mechanical harness he wore. The power frames had been designed to assist with construction involving heavy equipment, and consisted of a mechanical framework that lined the arms, legs, and backs of workers. Used to help maintained the Evangelions, the frame's advanced servos allowed workers to handle objects that weighed far too much for a human being to carry, and boasted built-in repair equipment. They also had emergency descent thrusters, designed to allow them to land safely if one fell from great heights. And while no suit of armor like those worn by Iron Maiden or War Machine, this power frame was still going to come in very handy.

"Major, are you for real?" the worker protested as she came up to him. "Borrow my power frame? Are you even cleared to use -?"

"Don't waste my time debating this, mister!" Misato snarled, getting a distinct sense of déjà vu as she spoke. "I'm giving you a direct order here! Now move it!"

To the worker's credit, he was very quick at heeding an order once he realized that it would be in his best interest. In less than a minute, he had unstrapped the power frame, freeing it for Misato's use. He was even smart enough to stay around long enough to help strap her in and give her a few quick pointers on how the basic systems worked. "But," he muttered as his crash course came to an end, "what in blazes do you need it for?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out!" Misato grinned, raising up her arm and getting a feel for the way the power frame moved. While the servos powering the machine were designed for manipulating heavy objects, it was clear from the way it moved that it hadn't been made for speed. It took twice as long to raise her arm as it would have normally.

'_Another item to add to the list of things in need of being upgraded once Mana gets back,'_ Misato thought unhappily. _'Oh, well. It'll do for now.'_ With that thought in mind, she set off towards Cage Five, opening a channel to the bridge. "Makoto! Status!"

With a distinctive grunt, Makoto responded, "Major! We've got a problem!"

Xxxxxx

"Dammit, no! What's wrong with this thing?" Shinji cried out in dismay as he once again came under fire from the unknown enemy. Bolts of superhot plasma pelting Unit-01's armor while it just stood there, shaking like it had a case of the chills.

Things had not gone well for Shinji since Unit-01 had sprung up from the depths of the Geofront. As soon as he had reached the surface, he'd come under fire by some kind of phased energy discharge weapon. And while the blasts were by no means deadly to hm, safely ensconced within the Eva as he was, they felt like bee stings through his sync with the Unit.

To make matters worse, a moment or two after he'd been shot, Unit-01 had begun acting strangely. It's normally swift, sure movements became sluggish and erratic. It's sensory equipment was unresponsive, useless in trying to pin down his foe. Things that were quickly growing worse.

"Dammit!" Shinji swore once again. "You monster! What's wrong with you? Stop acting crazy and help me get this guy!"

While Shinji was struggling to rein in the increasingly erratic Evangelion, a tense voice cut through his anger. "Shinji, can you read me?" Maya asked. "Listen, I've just picked up an abnormality in Unit-01's telemetry!"

"An abnormality?" Shinji repeated, wondering what it was about scientists and technicians that they couldn't come out and just say what they meant. "Unit-01's going completely crazy on me!"

"Yes, and I think I know why!" Maya informed him. "There's a second radio signal overlapping with Unit-01's telemetry. As near as I can tell, it looks like someone's trying to break into your systems by hacking in via our broadcast!"

"Wha-? I'm being hacked?" Shinji yelped, knowing trouble when he heard it.

"Exactly! The Eva's online defenses are trying to keep the intruder out, but whatever is causing the problem is still breaking through Unit-01's firewalls!" Maya explained. "If you don't cut the signal off now, all of Unit-01's systems will be forced to shut down!"

Realizing that this meant he would be a sitting duck for the enemy, Shinji gritted his teeth. "Alright! I'm going offline…now!" Without further preamble, the Third Child pulled the master kill-switch on Unit-01's remote telemetry system. Effectively cutting Unit-01 off from all outside intrusions, whether they be from friend or foe.

The good news was that his move proved to be effective. Almost immediately, the conditions within the Eva returned to normal; it no longer shook and it was moving naturally. Unfortunately, this came at the expense of the ability to be monitored and assisted by NERV control; he was now on his own.

'_Dammit! I know I can do this!'_ Shinji swore inwardly. '_I just need to figure out where the shots keep coming from!'_ As Unit-01 swung its baleful gaze about, trying to lock in on the location of the enemy's arc signature. Unfortunately, with all the metal structures and various armors the composed the buildings of Tokyo-3, getting a precise lock on it was proving to be nearly impossible.

Still, Unit-01 continued to advance, making its way to where their unknown enemy first appeared. It was then Shinji caught sight of something drew his undivided attention; blood. A deep, red smear lay on the pavement near one of the entrances to the Geofront, and as he zoomed the Eva's optics in for a closer look, he saw additional, smaller puddles of blood all around it.

'_Oh, no…'_ Shinji thought nervously. He had known that they had come under attack, but he hadn't been aware that someone had been hurt. _'But…who was it? Was it one of them, or…'_ Not willing to complete this line of thought, he instead trained Unit-01's new sensors, which had been based on designs provided by Iron Maiden. "Computer, run a full spectrum scan and analyze!"

"**Analyzing, processing…processing…analysis complete,"** came a synthesized voice not unlike Sid's. Holographic displays came into existence before him as the computer pinpointed the largest puddle of blood.** "Blood: Human, Male. Profile does not match any sample within database."** Shinji let out a deep sigh of relief at this. A sigh that was cut short as the computer highlighted another red smear, this one much smaller.** "Blood: Human, Male. Profile matching Suzuhara, Touji."** While Shinji's eyes were going wide at this, the computer tracked down a third sample on the streets below, the smallest one.** "Blood: Human-hybrid, Female. Partial match for Kirishima, Mana. Complete match for the entity classified as Sid."**

"What…?" Shinji gasped, his entire body reacting as if it had been afflicted by the virus that had nearly taken over Unit-01. "Sid…_Touji…?" _With that, the Third Child's mind was suddenly assailed by images of his best friend being butchered and brutalized by whomever was responsible for this attack. Leaving him helpless to do anything but sit there, his mind numbed with horror.

Xxxxx

'_What's going on out there?'_ Fuyutsuki wondered as he watched Unit-01 from the relative safety of NERV Headquarters. Watched as the infamous berserker stopped dead in its tracks, apparently on the verge of collapsing beneath its own weight. _'Why would Shinji just stop like that?'_ Realizing that keeping his concerns to himself wouldn't obtain him the answers he needed, the old professor turned towards the three techs before him. "Lt. Ibuki! What's Unit-01's status?"

"Unknown, sir," Maya admitted unhappily. "We lost Unit-01's feed when Shinji cut the telemetry. And we have no way of contacting him unless he reestablishes the link."

Frowning at this acknowledgement of their own helplessness, Fuyutsuki considered the matter. "Is it possible that Unit-01 has been shut down by the virus."

"I don't think so, sir," Maya told him. "His firewalls were still mostly intact Shinji cut off the signal. Unit-01 should still be fully functional."

'_Then what the hell's going on up there?'_ Fuyutsuki demanded, cursing himself for being so helpless. Then, as if to rub his face in the situation, an alarm blared. Several holographic displays lit up with new information. "What in the -?"

"Sir! The MAGI just detected a massive EM signature!" Makoto reported. His fingers raining down on his station, NERV's resident otaku studied the information presented to him. "It appeared on the edge of out scanners for a couple seconds before disappearing!"

Swearing inwardly at this development, Fuyutsuki couldn't help but think, _'What? I__t's not enough that we've got a super-powered maniac tearing up the city? We have to deal with this now as well?'_ Thinking not for the first time that he was getting too old for this, the Sub Commander then got down to business. "Analysis. What's the source of the EM signature?"

"Analyzing…" Looking intently at her own displays, Maya ran the signature through the MAGI. After the three computers were done with their internal debate, the came back with a unanimous agreement. One that had the young woman gasped before turning to face Fuyutsuki, her face several shades paler. "The EM signature matches the one for Ma- for Iron Maiden's arc reactor." Her face falling with horror, she added, "The…the MAGI predict a 98% probability that this means her reactor must have…detonated."

From his seat on the command level, Fuyutski's heart fell. _'Then…that means that…is she…dead…?'_ And that would mean there was another victim of NERV. Another innocent life snuffed out, all because of the selfishness of a few men who presumed to know what was best for all of humanity. A few men that he had failed to stop, and had in fact been drawn into their web of sin.

Old shames and old fears tormenting him like they had so many times in the past, the old professor frowned, and did what he had to. Gathering himself up as he had in the past, he shoved all those things to the side as he returned to the present. "Is there any danger to this facility or the Evangelions?"

"No, sir," Makoto answered after a moment's analysis. "The arc explosion tapered off at the edge of our scanning range. It must've been massive for us to even register it, but there's no chance the EM wave will reach us here. We're in no danger, sir."

'_I wish I could believe that, Lieutenant,'_ Fuyutsuki thought wearily. Then aloud, he demanded, "What about the other Evas? What's their status?"

Xxxxx

Smiling dangerously as she stood in the open hand of Unit-02, Misato scanned the city. The wind whipping her hair about as she looked for her objective. Her enemy. "Do you have a lock on the arc signature?"

"Not yet," Asuka grumbled impatiently. "The _dummkopf_ is still moving about! I can't get a lock on him!"

"Then wait for it, Asuka," Misato informed her. Well aware that power and speed didn't matter in this operation nearly so much as precision and timing. This wasn't an out-and-out fight; this was a hunt. And a hunt played by much different rules.

And the first rule of hunting was to know your opponent's behavior. The way he thought. The way he thinks. All so that you could use it against him.

The armored marauder that had attacked Sid and War Machine was no match for an Evangelion in a straight battle. He had to know that. He also knew that, in a city this size, there were plenty of places to hide from the biomechanical titans, as long as he stuck close to the buildings and out of sight. And he also had to have seen Unit-02 deploy on the surface, but at the same time, he had to know that it was currently unarmed, so unless additional armaments were sent up to it, it was no threat. And since Asuka had already cut her telemetry feed like Shinji had, there was little chance of that.

Therefore, since Unit-02 was much further away, it wasn't as immediate a threat as Unit-01, which was moving again. Trying to ferret their armored enemy out. And that, ultimately, was what was going to be the enemy's undoing.

There was a bit of movement. Too tiny for Misato to make out, but still…

"Ha!" Asuka crooned with vengeful delight. "I've got a firing solution!"

Smiling as she heard Asuka say 'Let me fire' without actually saying, Misato replied, "Then let it rip and don't you dare miss!"

Curling up in Unit-02's hand, the M107 she had ordered cradled safely in her arms, Misato tensed up as the fist of the Eva closed gently around her. Her heart pounding in her ears, she braced herself as Asuka drew the Eva's arm back, and finally, let her fly with the force of an artillery cannon. As Misato flew through the air, struggling with the force of the extra Gs she was now enduring, she forgot about everything else as she caught sight of the soldier, the armor-clad foe who had nearly killed Sid. The foe she was going to destroy.

Acting on instinct as she sailed through the air, Misato lined up the sights on the M107 in her power frame-enhanced arms, and fired all ten rounds in rapid succession. Had she been holding it on her own, she's likely have broken her shoulder. But the power frame soaked up the recoil like a champ; her aim only wavered slightly.

The soldier never even saw it coming. He hadn't anticipated the possibility of an Eva using a thrown weapon. And he certainly didn't even have time to react to such a weapon peppering his suit with .50 caliber rain. Staggered by the barrage that sent sparks flying from the joints in the armor plating, all he could do was watch as a litany of error messages flashed on his head's up display.

As Misato neared her target, she re-oriented herself with a quick burst of the power frame's emergency decent thrusters. Then she used all of the frame's remaining power to fire a full burst to slow her down before her armored feet struck the soldier with the force of a Mack truck. The force of the blow was unreal, leaving the Major feeling like she had just been kicking a bomb as it exploded. Fortunately, while the power frame wasn't designed for speed, it was tough and sturdy enough to absorb the impact. And while the support struts had been bent, very nearly destroyed by the impact, it had kept her insides from turning into gelatin.

The soldier was less lucky. His armor may have made him a walking tank, but he was no Iron Maiden or War Machine. He simply didn't have the agility or finesse that they had, and while he put up a good show, he still crashed hard, sent skidding across the street, sending crushed concrete flying before he slammed into the wall of a nearby building.

Fully aware of her opponent's status, Misato groaned as she started to remove the power frame. She was dizzy and dazed, a lot more so than she was happy with, but she knew she had to get free of the machine. Without power, it was now nothing more than a hindrance, as was the rifle she had emptied into her enemy.

She had just finished freeing herself from the ruined construction device when Misato saw the soldier getting back up to his feet. As she steadied herself and prepared for battle, the Major couldn't help but smile. Even at its best, the armor her foe had worn was no match for either of the Kirashima tech-based armors she had seen. And after being softened up the way it had been, it was far from its best. Her enemy might still have some fight, but he was battered. Weakened.

And he certainly was nowhere _near_ as pissed off as Misato was.

With a primal scream, the Major charged forth before leaping into the air. She crashed feet first into the faceplate of his helmet, cracking the lenses and sending sparks from the circuitry. Effectively blinded, the armored soldier took an involuntary step backwards as Misato came to her feet and reached into her jacket. Drawing forth a knife, she leapt at him again and slammed the blade down into crack in the ammo package on his back. Her reward was further sparks flying up from his armor. As her enemy waved his arms about, she kicked off of him before he could think of grabbing her, landing before him and reaching for her sidearm.

Then the soldier did something that the Major had not expected him to do. He laughed. It started out low, but then grew louder and more boastful as she took aim at his head.

"You think this is funny, asshole?" she demanded, opening fire at his faceplate. "Huh? You think tearing up a couple of kids is _funny?_ Just some big _joke?_" She fired again and again at her foe. "C'mon! Let's see you laugh _this _off, you bastard!" Even as she completed her sentence, she discharged the remainder of her magazine into his optics, her gun finally clicking on empty.

As Misato pulled the trigger on the now-useless weapon a few times, the armored soldier laughed a few more times before reaching up for his helmet. "Yeah, this is funny, alright," he grinned cruelly as she glowered at him, allowing her gun to fall to the ground as she backed away from him. "It's too bad you had to get in my way, now; it sure is a shame to kill such a hot piece of tail, but now that you've _really _pissed me off…I'm going to enjoy ripping you limb from limb." Snorting in laughter, he shook his head derisively as he advanced on Misato. "Seriously, did you really think you could beat me?"

Misato smirked knowingly at him. "No," she replied, savoring the baffled expression that appeared on his face. "I just wanted you out in the open and stationary." Then she called out over her radio. "Ayanami! _Now!"_

"Roger," Rei answered. An instant later, the hatch of an Eva shaft a block away from them popped open, allowing the blue Evangelion to appear on the streets. Both Misato and her foe watched as Unit-00 leveled its pallet rifle at their position, and while such weapons hadn't been too terribly effective against the Angels, the Major knew exactly what it could do to a human-sized target that was now a sitting duck.

Apparently, the soldier knew, too. As Misato turned and ran, getting as much distance as she could, his face sagged with realization. There was no time for him to run, not in his damaged armor. There was no chance for him to duck or hide, no hope his suit could withstand the assault to come. All he had time to do was say, "Oh, _sh-!"_

This was his last act in life. Before he could even complete his sentence, a supersonic round from Rei's pallet rifle struck him. The Eva-scale bullet instantly turned him into a rough approximation of chutney, and the resulting shockwave from the shot sent both bits of him and Misato flying into the air. The Major tumbled across the street, her body scraped and battered and bruised before she finally came to a stop.

Groaning deeply as she started to register the many injuries she had sustained, Misato moved enough to be able to look at black smear and wreckage that had once been her armored foe. "Heh," she smiled, despite the pain. "Now _that…_was funny, you – ouch!"

Wincing at the sudden pain, Misato frowned, wondering if she had broken something. Then the pain repeated itself in a different spot, and it happened again elsewhere. Then she looked up and realized that she was being pelted with scraps of metal; all the remained of her obliterated enemy.

As the rain subsided, leaving the Major in somewhat worse shape and spirits than she had been before, she felt a distinctive thud run through the city streets. Looking about, she saw the crimson titan that was Unit-02 approach her position.

"Hmph. Not bad, Misato," Asuka commented as her Eva knelt down beside the battered Major. "I'm kinda pissed that you and Wondergirl had to hog all the glory with this one…but I have to admit, it's kinda nice to see you being on the business end of one of your so-called plans!"

Sorely tempted to tell Asuka where she could stuff her commentary, but too sore to actually do it, Misato settled for telling her, "Asuka…let's just get back to base already. I'm _not _in the mood…" And she was even less in the mood for the German's subsequent laughter, though she didn't have the energy to mention that.

Xxxxx

"_Operation is complete; target is silent and package has been recovered,"_ came Asuka's voice from a speaker as a video recording of the battle concluded._ "We're returning through lifts fifteen and twenty-two."_

As the playback of that day's battle ceased, Sid looked at the now-blank screen through her un-bandaged eye, her face uncertain. "So, that's it, huh?" the AI girl muttered, her organic body paining her in ways she never would have imagined as a pure AI. "Both creeps are dead, so we have no leads on where they came from."

"I could have taken him alive," Touji interjected with a sideways glance at Ayanami. The albino girl was seated down the row from him, and was the only pilot present in the review room that had been used after the infamous first engagement with the 7th Angel.

"You nearly died back there, Suzuhara. You weren't in any shape to take a _mouse,_ let alone something like that!" Ritsuko declared from where she stood at the front of the screen. "Look, I don't like this, either, but I was helping the people down in Medical put you and Sid back together again. Misato did what she had to do to keep everybody safe."

Glancing over at the seat next to Ritsuko, Toji saw the woman in question holding an icepack to her head. Her injuries had been treated before she had been allowed to join this meeting, and as such looked more like a mummy than the Operations Director. "Right," right," Touji grumbled with incredibly bad grace. Deciding to change the subject, he gestured at the First Child. "By the way, why's Rei the only Eva pilot here? What happened to Shin-man and the Devil?"

"They're both with the Commander for a separate debrief," Ritsuko explained. "We decided that it would be best if Rei was the only pilot who knew you were War Machine. At least for now."

"Huh?" Touji frowned. "Why's that? Shinji's my friend! Why can't we tell him about it?"

"We know he's your friend, Touji. In a way, that's part of the problem," Ritsuko informed him. Then she went onto explain how Unit-01 tracked down the blood he had left out on the streets. "He was horrified when found that, and was almost sure that you'd been killed up there. The last thing he needs right now are even more shocks, and finding out that you're War Machine would certainly qualify!"

While Touji was processing this, Sid smirked and added, "And as for Asuka…do you really want her to know that _you're _the one who burned the words 'stupid, egotistical bitch' on her Eva's face?" The AI girl was rewarded with the hilarious sight of the jock's eyes bulging in horror at the thought of such a scenario.

"All kidding aside, I have to say that I'm not exactly thrilled about finding out who War Machine really is, either," Misato told them, the disappointment clear in her voice. "Seriously, I thought you were smarter than that, Touji."

Snorting at this, Touji countered, "So says the one who went into combat using _construction_ equip-!"

"Look, it's not Touji's fault!" Sid broke in before her friend could say something that he would undoubtedly regret. "We sort of fell into his lap after we ended up here! And if there's anyone to blame for him becoming War Machine, it's me! _I'm_ the one who asked him for help when Mana got captured by NERV! _I'm_ the one who had him come with me to rescue her! So please, don't blame him for it!"

Even before Sid completed her tirade, she realized that something was wrong. The instant she mentioned Mana's name, both Misato and Ritsuko visibly winced. The two of them then exchanged a grim look, and when they looked back at the teens, they immediately knew something else was wrong.

It was Touji who put Sid's concerns into words. "You're not telling us something," Touji accused, his injuries forgotten as he stood. When neither NERV official said anything in response, the jock got even more annoyed. "Look, I know I'm not the smartest person in this room, but I'm not an idiot!" Looking back and forth between Misato and Ritsuko, his eyes sparked dangerously. "Something's happened to Mana. Hasn't it?"

The two women exchanged another look, with Misato's expression making it clear that she didn't see any point in lying. Sighing heavily at this, Ritsuko turned and faced the two armor users. "We picked up an energy discharge during the battle on the surface. It was consistent with the MAGI's best guess at what an arc reactor explosion would look like," Ritsuko gingerly explained. "Immediately after the battle, we received word that the US Air Force shot down an 'unidentified armored figure'."

As Sid heard these words, she felt as if the world had just come to an end. Emotions she had never experienced before, feelings she didn't know she was capable of, flooded her mind and left her inundated with pain and horror. "Are…?" she got out, shaking her head in disbelief. "Are you…saying that Mana's…dead?"

"We don't know what the situation is, Sid," Ritsuko told her, her voice now that of a cool, collected scientist. "We haven't gotten any confirmation of this, one way or the other. All we have is the arc reactor detonation, and that…that doesn't necessarily mean that -!" The doctor cut herself off when she saw Touji start down the stairs and towards the door. "Suzuhara, where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to get my armor," Touji announced with hesitation. "And then I'm going after her."

"Oh, no you don't!" Misato countered. Mindless of her injuries, she rushed over to intercept Touji before he could get to the door. "Forget it, Touji! You're not going anywhere!"

His eyes narrowed sharply, Touji glared at Misato for a moment before saying, "Misato, there's no time! I have to -!"

"The only thing you have to do is go back to NERV Medical and get some rest!" Misato informed him in a no-nonsense tone of voice. "You just had surgery and a _transfusion_, for God's sake! You're in no shape to go _anywhere,_ let alone jump headfirst into another battle!" When Touji failed to see the light of reason, the Major growled and tried another tact. "For that matter, we don't even know what's going on in America, or who tipped them off that Mana was going there! You could wind up flying right into another trap, and there's no way in hell I'm losing anybody else!"

"We don't even know if she's lost or not!" Touji's protested. "But if she's still out there somewhere, then I have to go _now!_ The more time I waste here, the less chance I have of finding her in time!"

"Touji, I understand that. And I don't blame you for wanting to help her! But you have to face facts!" Misato went on. "You're in no condition to go anywhere, and neither is your armor, for that matter! It still has to be repaired, as well as refitted and reloaded before it can be used again!"

"Then get it repaired and refitted and whatever! Right now!" Touji demanded fiercely.

"You're still not _thinking, _Touji! Even with your armor, it'll take time for you to get there, and once in America, you'll be completely on your own!" Misato told him. "And have you even thought about what might happen if people noticed you were missing? Did it even occur to you think that somebody might put two and two together if Touji Suzuhara just up and vanished her, while War Machine was causing trouble in America? And when that happens, what then? Did you ever think about how your father or sister will react if you simply vanish on them? And what happens if the people who sent those armored creeps decide to start taking a few hostages to use against you? What will you do?"

As Sid sat there, watching the two of them argue, she couldn't help but admit that Misato had some very valid points. Touji had family and friends in Tokyo-3, people who were potentially vulnerable to their enemies. And as much as the jock's spirit might have been willing, there was no doubt that his body was presently ill-equipped to act on his determination. And judging by his face, there was also no doubt that he still wasn't listening.

Misato noticed the defiant look the boy wore as well. "You don't have your armor, Touji," she informed him grimly. "If I don't want you to leave, then you don't leave. That's all there is to it."

There it was, the long and short of it. Touji had no chance of forcing the issue, and it was obvious that Misato wasn't going to take no for an answer. But even then, with all of that stacked against him, he still refused to back down. "Miss Misato…" he started, his words mangled by his own emotions. "I…I'm not an idiot. I know that you're worried about me…and my family…but…this is something I have to do." Seeming to swell with either anger or righteous determination, Sid couldn't tell, the boy matched the Major, glare for glare. "I'm…I'm not asking for your permission. I'm telling you that…one way or the other, I'm going after her. If you think it's a trap, fine. Help me, feed me information, anything you have. And if you're not going to help me, then don't try to stop me, because I don't care what it takes. First I'm going to find my armor, then I'm going to bust out of here, and then…I'm going to go find her."

A heavy silence filled the room as Misato considered the boy's words. A silence that was broken when Ritsuko commented, "Give him a break, Misato." When the Major looked sharply at her friend, her gaze accusing her of betrayal, the doctor simply smiled. "Given the craziness that you've been party to, I don't think you're in any position to criticize." Annoyance burning in her eyes, Misato continued to glare at her friend, who added, "Besides, if this were Shinji or any of the other Children were talking about, what would you do?"

Her face unchanging, Misato retorted, "I would try and work out the best possible plan for getting them home safely _before_ I did something insane." Then she returned her focus to Touji, her features softening with sadness. "Touji, I'm sorry about this. I know Mana's your friend, but your going off like this isn't going to help her, or anyone else for that matter. And if you're not going to listen to me, then I'm afraid I have no choice but to -!"

Misato never got the chance to complete this sentence, for at that exact moment, a large, metallic shape smashed its way through the wall, sending the Major tumbling to the ground. Touji and Ritsuko both froze up as they tried to figure out what was going on, watching as the metal projectile rocketed around the room once before spreading its arms out to the sides and landing on its feet right before Touji.

Recovering just enough to look up at the War Machine armor that now stood before her, Misato's face soured like an overripe lemon. "Oh, _shiiiit…!"_

"Exactly," Touji grinned like an idiot as he darted around to the front of the armor. "Computer, armor up!"

"Armoring process commencing," came a computerized voice as the front of the War Machine armor split open, allowing Touji to step back into it. Within seconds, the various metal plates had slid back into place. Finally, his faceplate slid into place, the eyes of the armor lighting up with electric blue.

While Misato lay there, glowering, War Machine turned and glanced over at Sid, who was smiling in smug-yet-sad manner. "Thanks, Sid."

"Don't thank me yet, War Machine," she told him. Grateful beyond measure for the lengths he was willing to go for them, for Mana, and saddened that she was once again the reason he would be facing danger. "And…you're welcome."

Turning about to once again look at the Major, War Machine informed her, "Sorry, Misato, but it's like I told you. Whether or not you help me, I'm going after Mana." Somehow managing to smirk through his faceplate, he added, "And I don't think you'll be able to confine me anywhere."

"Yeah. I noticed," Misato grumbled sourly. When the sound of female laughter reached her ears, she glowered at the source. "And what about you, Ritsuko Akagi? Why didn't you do something about this?"

Snickering loudly at her friend's predicament, Ritsuko shrugged and answered, "Sorry, Misato. I guess I was too busy enjoying the show." Then she leaned forward and added, "Besides, why should you be the only who gets away with doing insane things around here?"

"Hey, don't blame her or Touji!" Misato turned to look at Sid, who gave her an impish smirk. "Like I said before, if you're gonna blame anyone here, than blame me!"

"Trust me, I will," Misato grumbled before she got back to her feet and glared at War Machine. The armor the youth wore large enough so that the two of them were pretty much eye-to-eye with each other. "Aw, damn. I don't suppose you're going to be any more willing to listen to reason now than you were when you didn't have your armor, will you?"

"Sorry," Touji replied, _way _too smugly for the Major's taste. "I'm afraid not, Miss Misato."

Letting out a huge sigh, Misato brought her hand to her temples. "Aw, hell. I suppose I don't have the authority to give your orders anyway," she got out with a laugh. "Alright, I'll give you all the help I can, but you have do three things for me before you go, Touji."

"Yeah?" War Machine rumbled, folding his arms before his chest. "And what would those be?"

"First, I want you to have both yourself and your armor fully equipped and prepped before you leave," Misato intoned, putting as much authority into her words as she could. "And that means the armor gets repaired and reloaded, and it gets whatever extras Sid can cram on the thing. Anything and everything that she can give you that will give you a better chance. And I also want you to bring whatever supplies Ritsuko might deem necessary for you to bring. Including, I might add, a first aid kit for Mana, as well as some food." Then she shot a knowing look at the armored teen. "Or were you not planning on eating while you were in America?"

Touji seemed to blink a few times as he considered this. "Oh," he finally got out. "I…guess that might be a good idea. Right, Sid?"

"Considering that bottomless pit you call a stomach? Yeah, I'd say so!" Sid concurred, having seen firsthand how long food stayed on the plate when Touji was around. And though she was internally chafing at the delay, she had to admit that Misato had a point. "Well…I think I can rig up something to help him carry some extra supplies with him on his trip. It should only take an hour, maybe less."

"Good, great," Misato nodded. "Now, the second thing I want you to do for me is to say goodbye to your family before you leave."

"_What?"_ War Machine squawked. "Miss Misato, are you kidding me? If my dad finds out about this, then he'll -!"

"He deserves to know, Touji! As does your sister!" Misato told him, speaking with deliberate slowness in order to make sure every word was processed once it reached his brain. "If somebody's going to tell them that you're War Machine, it should be you! And trust me, there's no way in _hell_ I'm going to be the one who has to tell them! Especially if something happens to _you_ as well!" Once again, she let this sink in for a while before giving a tired, sympathetic look. "Besides…I think you'd feel better if you told them what the truth is."

Now it was War Machine's turn to fall silent as he considered the Major's words. "Yeah…yeah, I guess you have a point." Then he glowered through his faceplate at Misato and added, "But don't expect for me to give up on this! Because even if my dad tells me not to, I'm…"

"Don't worry, I gave up on that idea the instant you and Sid double-teamed me!" Misato assured him, holding up her hands in surrender and laughing as she did. And while Sid had no idea if she was laughing just for the sake of laughing, or just because the shoe was now on the other foot, Sid wasn't sure.

When the laughter finally subsided, War Machine nodded and said, "Yeah, okay. And what's the third thing you want me to do?"

"Simple," Misato told him. "I want you to make me a promise, Touji; make sure that both of you come back alive."

A beat passed before War Machine answered, and Sid was certain that there was a cocky grin on his face when said, "You've got it, ma'am."

"Fine," Misato nodded. "And now that _that's_ settled, I'd say we've got our work cut out for us. So while all of you make the necessary arrangements, I'll be dealing with the tough job."

"The _tough_ job?" Ritsuko frowned.

"Yeah," Misato muttered sourly. "Explaining to the Commander exactly why so much shit hit the fans all at once."

X

Tai had experienced many emotions since he had first come online in his organic body. Some of them were pleasant, the kind triggered by his congenial interactions with his friends at NERV. Others less so, like seeing how people that didn't know he was Gendo Ikari reacted him, seeing the memories of pain he triggered in other people. There were sensations that he simply couldn't get enough of, like his nightly sessions with Ritsuko. But never before had he been this far south of happy. He was more than displeased, more than angry. He was consumed with fury…as well as grief.

'_Mana…'_ he thought miserably, as he had done several times since learning of the destruction of her arc reactor. And the all-too likely implications of that event. So much had gone wrong in so little time, with the pain of this loss at the heart of everything in his mind. And thus leaving him more than willing to take it out on anyone convenient. And as Misato stood before him in his office, he found that he was not at all upset by the fact that she was taken aback by his usage of the signature 'Gendo-pose'.

"Katsuragi, what in the hell were you thinking?" he demanded in a low, dangerous voice. "You killed the only possible lead we had to finding out who arranged for the attack on Mana, as well as ourselves. We needed to take him alive! Interrogate him! _Not _reduce him to a bloody smear!"

"Sir!" Misato answered, her voice faltering slightly as the similarity between the man in front of her and the real Gendo. "With all due respect, there was no time to come up with a better solution. I did not have the ability to capture the target because we simply could not field moderate enough force to disable him without killing him. Not with the Guardsmen currently offline."

Finding that the Major's words were perfectly logical, Tai shifted and leaned back into his chair. More than happy to break out of Gendo-mode, he took his glasses off and put a hand to his forehead, "You're right," he was forced to admit. "It's just that…we're really flying blind here now." Heaving a deep sigh, his fleshy body never having felt as weak as it did just then. "Mana's…gone and Tou- War Machine is leaving to look for her… Sidnee is in no shape to be fighting right now, and we still need to get the Guardsmen back online." Shaking his head as these many problems mounted up in his mind. "I'm not too worried about the Angels. We've been able to defeat each of them so far. But this… group, or whatever it is, be it Rokubungi's attempt at revenge, or some other party…"

"I know. We need something better to help us deal with them. We can't use a cannon to kill a mosquito, or, in this case, an Evangelion to stop a man," Misato offered. "So what can we do? Make another suit? Create a new Iron Maiden…at least until Mana comes back?"

"Sidnee won't do it. She's even more distrustful of NERV than Mana w- is. And given the security breach, she's likely to be even more unwilling to give us any more help on that front," Tai muttered. "And, unfortunately, I don't have the knowledge to build the armor," he muttered with a hint of disgust. The Tactical AI shook his head at the irony of being treated in some ways like the enemy he had replaced. "Smart of them to keep that from me, really. Because right now, I'd do it without a second thought. And I wouldn't stop at making another Iron Maiden."

"Yeah, I bet," Misato grumbled. "Which means we'll just have to find another solution."

Nodding absently, Tai turned away and looked at one of the pictures on his desk. A picture of himself on the day of his 'birth'. "You know, I'm starting to think that they made me too much like him," he muttered, picking up the picture and holding it up to his face. Looked at the image of himself in a medical gown, grinning like an eager little boy, with Mana and Sid posing and smiling for the camera. "I think I'm starting to understand why he is the way he is. Because, right now, I'd tear the world apart if it meant it would bring Mana back."

Misato stared at him for a moment, uncomprehending. "What are you saying, Tai?"

"I'm saying that mistakes were made," Tai murmured as he continued to look at the picture. "Gendo Ikari didn't need prison; he needed therapy. He's no more a monster than any other man in his situation would have been. And right now, he is a wounded animal. He's dangerous and unpredictable, and we made it worse."

Misato's face fell with astonished horror as she stared the cyber-clone. _"What?"_ she rasped out in disbelief. "Are you – is this – what the – but -!" As one attempt at coherent speech after another sputtered and failed, the Major threw up her arms and tried again. "Per-permission to sp-speak -!"

"Speak freely?" Tai gathered. "Yes, of course. Go right ahead."

Without further warning, Misato slammed both hands down on his desk, surrounded by metaphoric flames that seemed a lot less metaphoric than he would have liked. _"Just what the hell is the matter with you, asshole? Are you out of your mind? What, did the warranty on that fancy brain of yours expire already? Is that it?"_

Recoiling from the flames spitting from the Major's eyes, Tai needed a moment to recover before answering. "Um…perhaps not…_that _freely…"

Misato gave the desk another harsh thump. "Yeah, I know. Gendo lost his wife. And yeah, I know that would screw anyone up. But need I remind you exactly what he was doing even _before _that happened? He was working to on this whole Instrumentality project! And before you remind me as to how some people might thing that would be a good thing, let me remind _you _that it's already cost the lives of _half the people on the planet!"_ Emphasizing her point by pounding on the desk again, the Major snarled at Tai just that more, her eye twitching with her fury. "And as if that wasn't bad enough, look what he's done to the people here on this base! He destroyed his own son and made his life a living hell, for God's sake! He used Ritsuko _and _her mother, not to mention caused Naoko's suicide! He's already killed Rei once for his own selfishness, and he was probably planning on doing that again! He's blackmailed the Sub Commander into working here, had Mana's father killed for his armor! And you're telling me that a man like that isn't a monster? He's the _ultimate_ monster! He's everything that all the tyrants in the world have ever dreamed of being! He's like all the Hitlers and Ghengis Khans and Attilas and Mussolinis the world has ever known all rolled up into one!" The Major smashed the desk one more time, and this time left a rather sizeable dent in its surface. Her chest heaving as she struggled to catch her breath, at least some of her anger expended in her tirade, the Major let her head hang loose for a time as she recovered.

When the Major finally started speaking again, her voice was gentler, more sympathetic…and more worn. "Look, I understand that you're upset about Mana. We _all _are," she told him. "But are you…are you telling me that you would act with no regard for others in order to get her back? That you'd destroy everyone else in your life, in the _world, _all for the sake of one person? Especially when you know Mana herself wouldn't want you to do that?"

Tai sighed. "No…you're right. Mana wouldn't want that," he admitted with sad fondness. "But I have to admit…part of me wants nothing more than to send Unit-00 in to America with guns blazing until I got her back." Giving Misato a wry look, he asked, "I trust you'll stop me if I get too out of line?"

"You're damn right, I will," Misato told him under no uncertain terms. "So…what are we going to do now?"

"I think that there's only way to see our way through this," Tai told her. "And that's to save Gendo Ikari… from himself."

X

As she slowly woke up, the first thing she became aware of was the incredible headache she had. A headache that seemed far too large to fit in her cranium, until she realized that every inch of her body was throbbing with pain. _'Aw…damn…'_ she thought, trying to make sense of what was happening. Then she noticed something else; that she was lying on a soft bed, and was covered by a warm blanket.

'_Well…that's a surprise…'_ she thought, every thought coming with extreme difficulty. _'What's…going on here? The last thing I remember…the maser exploded, and…'_

"Miss Kirishima." Jolted to full awareness by this unfamiliar voice, Mana looked wildly about until she saw the source. "It's a pleasure to finally have you awake," said the man standing in the doorway to the room she was laying in. A man she immediately recognized. "I must say, I've had many people say they were dying to meet me, but you're the first who ever tried to follow through."

Blinking in astonishment at the man who was grinning wryly at her, Mana smiled in triumph. "Tony Stark. So…you're alive after all."


	18. Yesterday's Hero

All thanks to orionpax09.

You know the drill.

* * *

"Hmm…yeah, I guess you could say I'm still alive," Stark responded, smiling in a self-depreciating way. "Though I have to admit, I'm not exactly sure I'd call what I've been doing lately living."

As Mana continued to lie there, studying the figure before her, she found herself ruefully agreeing. For while she recognized the man before her as Tony Stark, it was also obvious that he had been through a few changes over the years, and by the looks of things, they hadn't been pleasant ones. The first thing she noticed was the scraggly beard hanging from his face, as well as the untidy mop of hair, both of them stained with grey and neither looking like he'd bothered tending to them since Second Impact.

Physically, he looked to be in better shape; his body was firm and toned in a way she wouldn't have expected of a billionaire playboy of his notoriety. But at the same time, there was something wrong about his build, as if he had machines for muscle and skin, rather than flesh and blood. Strange, sickly veins were visible even from where she lay, and beneath his tank-top shirt, she could see the faint glow of what could only be an arc reactor in his chest.

"Looks like you've been seeing some rough times," Mana weakly agreed.

Nodding somberly, Stark answered, "For about fifteen years now."

Somehow managing to smile at this, Mana frowned as she looked about her surroundings. "So…how long was I out? And where am I?"

"Well, I can't tell you exactly how long you were out; all I know is that it's been three days since you got here," Stark answered in a terse manner. "As for where we are, it's a secure bunker I set up back in the days before Second Impact. Sort of an emergency 'home-away-from-home' I made for myself, just in case things came to the worst." His smiled faded at this, and a deep, abiding sadness appeared in his eyes. "Needless to say, things came to the worst, alright. And then some."

"Yeah, I figured that one out." Heaving a deep breath, Mana groaned as she brought her left hand to her forehead. "Ugh…three days, huh?" Stark nodded to this, leaving the auburn-haired girl to sigh. "Well…all things considered, I guess I should feel lucky to still be alive."

"You don't know how lucky you are." Frowning somewhat, Stark looked at her for a time, as if considering what to say next. "After you were shot down, a close friend of mine found out about you and arranged for you to be brought here for treatment. It was touch and go for a time."

Furrowing her brows, Mana tried to make sense of what she was being told. "Wh-what are you…?" she began, only to stop when memories spilled forth into her conscious mind. Memories of being attacked by the U.S. Air Force, of the chase they'd given her, as well as the destruction of her own jet. She recalled the desperate battle she had waged shortly after, trying to avoid the swarming missiles that had finally struck home, causing her maser rifle to reach critical and explode. "Wh-wait…" she began recalling the last thing she had seen before fading to dark. "My…my armor…"

"Uh, yeah. I'm afraid there isn't much left of it," Stark grimly informed her. "I don't know what it hit it, but whatever it was took several chunks out of it. And…"

"And…?" Mana began, prompting him to continue.

The bedraggled former playboy sat there for a time, looking at her before shaking his head. "Fifteen years, Second Impact, and who knows what else, and I _still _have no idea how to talk to people. To tell them what I need to tell them, never mind doing it without completely screwing it up," he muttered, talking more to himself than to Mana. Then he looked at her again, heaving a weary sigh before saying, "I'm sorry. There's…no way of getting around it."

"Around what?" Mana asked, a pit of dread opening in her stomach. "Wh-what happened to me…?"

"The explosion? The…whatever-it-was that blew your armor apart," Stark began, his eyes lining with grief as he spoke. "I hate to tell you this, but it did the same to _you,_ too."

Taken aback by this, Mana sat up in her bed, bracing herself up by her right hand. "Wh-what are you talking about…?" she asked, forcing a chuckle as the pit in her stomach deepened. "I…I don't feel any different. I mean, not really. And…my body feels okay, and…"

"Mana," Stark began, the heavy voice with which he spoke freezing her in place. "Look at your right arm."

Her eyes narrowed with confusion, Mana automatically did as was asked of her…at which her jaw hit the floor. At first glance, her arm looked fine, save for a fine, thin scar along her shoulder, one that went about her arm in a full circle. Almost like a seam in a section of metal plating. "Wh-what…?" she gasped incoherently, her experienced eyes taking in even more details as she scrutinized her appendage as if it were some alien thing. Which, as she quickly realized, it was.

At first glance, the skin and the muscles beneath it seemed perfectly organic, but after a moment's study, Mana realized that she could see what could only be pseudo-organic circuitry, just visible beneath her skin. Furthermore, the structuring of her musculature was off in a manner similar to that of Stark's. The difference wasn't as extreme, but it was still noticeable. Her eyes bulging, she lifted her arm, and felt her balance shift.

"Oh…oh, no…" Mana moaned heavily as she realized what had happened. What _had _to have happened.

"Eh, yeah," Stark grimly agreed. "I…I'm sorry. I didn't have a lot of choice. I…"

"You…you _cut off my arm?"_ Mana shrilled, her heart pounding in horror.

"Uh, well, actually…your arm was…mostly gone by the time you got here," Stark told her hesitantly. Then he pressed his lips together and added, "And…your legs, as well."

If Mana had thought that everything she had been through, everything from losing her father and home to learning the truth behind Second Impact to the revelation that her arm had been replaced would have numbed her to further shock, this revelation would have immediately proven her wrong. Driven by desperate horror, the auburn-haired girl threw off her blanket. Looking down at the simple medical gown she was clad in, she gulped loudly before glancing over at Stark. The former playboy let out a tired sigh before lowering his eyes. Icy cold fingers wrapping around her heart, she took hold of the hem of the gown, lifted it up…and very nearly died when she saw the same indicative scars about the hips of both legs.

For a long time, Mana sat there in silence, the technical part of her mind in awe at how flawless the replication of her own lost legs had been. If not for the fact that she was as experienced with the technology behind them as anyone could be, she would never have been able to tell the difference. But then there was another, deeper part of her, that cried out in horror at the realization that parts of her very body had been ripped away from her. Had been replaced with something synthetic. "Wh-what…?" Mana gasped, her eyes tearing as she cast an accusing look at the man she had crossed an ocean to find. _"What did you do to me?"_

"What I did is to save your life," Stark told her. "When you were brought here, you were dying of blood loss, numerous broken bones, burns, lacerations…and the loss of your forearm and lower legs." Letting this sink in for a moment, the noted inventor leaned forward, his eyes sharp and clear. "I tried to save what I could, but the damage to what was left of your arm and legs was too extensive. Even with the best biomechanical prosthetics, you never would have been able to walk again, or work your right arm. So…"

"So you just tore out what was left of them without even telling me?" Mana shrilled in disbelief. "You couldn't have woken me up to -?"

"To do what? Wake you up to show you that half your body was _missing?"_ Stark returned, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "You almost _died_, Mana! I just tried to make things as easy on you as I could! And if I blew it, I'm sorry! I made the call I thought was right at the time, and…" Before he could say another word, the former playboy's tongue fell flat in his mouth. "Aw, damn."

"What? What is it?" Mana demanded as Stark sat back, shaking his head as a rueful smile played about his lips.

"Nothing. Just thinking about a time when I was in similar situation to the one you are," Stark commented, looking up at the ceiling. "Yensin, wherever you are, I can practically hear you laughing your ass off all the way from here."

"Yensin?" Mana breathed, frowning her confusion.

"The man who saved my life when my heart was blown to hell. He took a few…liberties with my body while I was out as well." Then Stark frowned and studied the legs he had given her. "Though I will admit, he didn't have to do quite as much work to put me back together again."

Her immediate anger subsiding, Mana muttered, "Sounds like quite a story."

"It is," Stark admitted. "Death and rebirth, with quite a few bumps along the way. I'll have to tell you about it sometime."

Nodding to this, the auburn-haired girl returned her attention to her replacement limbs. "They don't feel too bad," she decided as she raised her right arm. Then she raised her right leg, bending it at the knee before doing the same with the left. "Movement feels a bit off, though. Too slow, and…"

"I know. The neuro-processors are still synching to your nervous system," Stark explained. "As you move about, they'll adapt and compensate. It'll probably take a few days, though." Then he gave a wry smile and added, "Trust me. I speak from experience."

"So I noticed," Mana replied. "So, how'd you do it? Did you start growing the techno-organics from my body, or did you generate the new parts separately and then attach them?"

"Grew them right from your body. It's the only way to do it if you want the nervous systems to mesh properly," Stark told her, to which Mana nodded. "Plus, it allowed the…other growths to take over as soon as they developed."

Mana was about to respond this when Stark's words registered with her. _"Other _growths? You mean I lost _more _than just an arm and two legs?"

"Uh…well I wouldn't say 'lost'," Stark hesitated, his smile fading. "More like…well, I had to supplement a few things, that's all."

"Supplement?" Mana repeated, her displeasure mounting. "What do you mean, supplement? What, did I lose a lung or a kidney?"

"No, you didn't lose any of those. But your vital organs were all hit badly when you crashed, not to mention the neurological shock that you got when your armor was destroyed," Stark informed her in what Mana supposed was intended to be a comforting fashion. He was about to say something else when he stopped and shrugged. "Well, I could tell you about everything I did, but…considering that a picture is worth a thousand words, it might be simpler if I just showed you."

"Good idea," Mana grumbled as she swung her legs out over the side of the bed. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she paused to evaluate the tactile sensations of the tile. Once satisfied that the new legs were relaying information to her at least fairly accurately, she carefully rose from her bed. As she came to a standing position, she realized her center of balance was off. "It's a bit heavy," she noted, raising her right hand and feel her center of gravity shift somewhat. "Did you, by any chance, throw in a few extras when you were patching me up?"

"Eh, not exactly. Though I did leave some room for improvement, as it were," Stark explained. As Mana continued to glare at him, he stood and came over to her. "When you're fighting a war, you can't afford to overlook any possibility. And make no mistake, Mana. This _is _a war you've stepped into."

"Yeah, I know," Mana nodded, clenching and unclenching her right fist as she thought back to that day which now felt so long ago. The day her home, her father, and her previous life exploded into a pillar of flame. "I've known that for a long time now."

X

"Hey, Misato," Ritsuko smiled weakly, the faux-blonde seated at her desk holding a lukewarm cup of radiator fluid, also known as NERV's coffee. "What brings you down here?"

"Nothing much," Misato commented as she made her way up to Ritsuko's desk, casually sitting back in the chair opposite her. "I just got a few things I needed to talk to you about, that's all."

At this, Ritsuko's weak smile immediately faded. "Uh-oh. I know _that _tone of voice," she muttered before taking a sip of her coffee, at which she winced. "Am I going to need a fresh cup for this?"

Her own expression souring, Misato retorted, "Hey, c'mon, Rits! I just stopped by to talk about a few things! That doesn't necessarily mean it's the end of the world!"

"Maybe, but given the past few days, it can't hurt to play it safe," Ritsuko countered, setting aside her coffee. "So, what'd you want to talk about?"

"Well, for starters, I wanted to know how Touji is doing," Misato informed her. "And what about his armor? How's it coming along?"

"Well, the War Machine armor itself is actually in pretty decent condition. Whoever came up with that flying tank had endurance and durability in mind," Ritsuko declared with a thoughtful snort. "Still, it's going to need a major overhaul before Touji can take it to America." Noting the quizzical sound Misato made in her throat at this, the doctor sat back in her seat before elaborating. "His armor isn't as versatile as either Mana's or Sid's. It was designed strictly for combat."

"Yeah, I noticed that," Misato muttered with a roll of her eyes. "So what are you saying? That it can't make the trip all the way to America?"

"Oh, it can make the trip. If he doesn't mind it taking a day or so, that is," Ritsuko smirked. "All that armor plating and weaponry might be useful in a fight, but in terms of flight, they're just dead weight."

"And with no place to land, to rest and eat…" Misato realized with a slow nod. "That doesn't sound like my idea of fun."

"It's not. And even as advanced as that armor is, it can't keep Touji full or take care of his…other business for as long as it would take for him to get there," Ritsuko chuckled lowly. "So right now, Sid's putting together a remote booster drone that can link up with the armor and give it the speed it needs to get where he's going. As well as carry any supplies and what-not he might need."

"Sounds good. And hopefully it will give Touji a chance to rest up and recover a bit more before he heads out," Misato decided. "And speaking of which…?"

Giving a casual shrug, Ritsuko answered, "All things considered, he's coming along nicely. Another day or two, and he should be fairly recovered. At least enough so that he won't risk dying by traipsing off to another country." Then the doctor frowned and added, "I just hope he doesn't decide to pick another fight any time soon."

"Why? Is there something else wrong with him?" Misato asked worriedly.

"Not exactly. But, under normal circumstances, even after recovering from extensive injuries, it takes a person a little while to recover their usual strength and health," Ritsuko explained somberly. "And while Touji's fine right now, until he's completely recovered, I'd strongly recommend against any undue exertion or stress."

With a thoughtful snort, Misato returned, "You can recommend it all you want, Ritsuko Akagi. But in case you haven't noticed, Touji's not particularly keen on listening to anything that doesn't get him any closer to saving Mana."

"So I noticed." A moment passed in silence, after which the doctor leaned forward and frowned, "Misato…do you think she's still alive?"

Taken aback by this question, the Major frowned as she considered it. "To be honest, I don't know," Misato finally admitted. "I'll be the first to admit that it doesn't look good. But at the same time, I know a lot of people weren't expecting to find _me_ alive after Second Impact." Throwing up her hands, she sighed and decided, "I guess the only thing we can do right now is hope she's alive until we find out for sure that she isn't. Why?"

"Have you stopped to think about what would happen if it turned out that she's dead?" Ritsuko asked in a tired voice. "Even if Sid removes some of his weapons for this trip, the fact remains that we're sending Touji into another country with enough firepower to level a small town. If he finds Mana dead, or if he got the idea that she is, then…"

"I know, I know. Believe me, I've thought about that one more than once," Misato murmured, her mind all too happy to conjure up images of such a situation. "Even ignoring what it would do to him - which I can't ignore – if the way he acted when he found she'd been shot down, I can't imagine him taking her death lying down. Which means he'd liable to take it out on whomever he thought was responsible!"

"Which just happens to be the United States Air Force," Ritsuko muttered lowly.

"Exactly! And even if he didn't manage to get himself killed, there's still the little matter of the international incident that he could cause!" Misato groaned, unwilling to even think of the results of such a disaster. "Why do you think I was doing everything I could think of to keep him from going in the first place?"

"I know, I know. But there wasn't a lot either of us could have done. Not with Sid being linked to the armor and everything else." Then Ritsuko sighed and brought her hand to her forehead. "And there's another problem…"

"What do you mean?" Misato frowned.

"Sid. And Tai, for that matter," Ritsuko said by way of explanation. "In case you haven't noticed, they haven't been taking the news about Mana very well, either."

"Hmph. I noticed _that _when Tai told me he was tempted to send Unit-00 after her," Misato grumbled sourly.

"Unit-_00?_ As in Rei?" When Misato nodded in confirmation, Ritsuko groaned in dismay. "Aw, damn. And you just know that she wouldn't have a problem with that!"

"Now, hold on!" Misato began, holding up her hand to her friend. "Look, I know that Rei was…created by Gendo, but that doesn't mean that she'd be willing to…"

"To do whatever Tai asked her?" Ritsuko intuited. "I wish I could be as sure of that, Misato, but after everything that's been happening, I can't pretend to know what's going through her mind. Or those of Shinji and Asuka, for that matter." Then the doctor sighed and admitted, "Not that I ever could before."

"Which reminds me. I'm going to have to get Shinji in to see Touji," Misato frowned in thought. "If Touji's going after Mana, than Shinji deserves to know about it." When Ritsuko raised a questioning eyebrow, the purple-haired woman added, "This _is _his best friend we're dealing with here."

"Right, right, of course," Ritsuko nodded numbly. "Anyway, as I was saying, I'm more than a little worried about Sid and Tai."

"I know what you mean. Even if Mana's alive, until she gets back, Sid's the only one who knows how the armor technology works," Misato muttered grimly. "If she decides that we're somehow to blame for what happened to Mana, or if she gets any ideas about getting back at the United States or anything like that…"

"And then there's Tai. Don't forget, as far as the rest of the world is concerned, he's Gendo Ikari, the head of NERV Central," Ritsuko reminded her pointedly. "And even with SEELE to keep him in check, that means that there's a lot that he can do."

"Don't remind me," Misato grumbled, shuddering at the memories invoked by her friend's words. "Even after everything that's happened, I still can't believe that Gendo was the one who set Second Impact in motion. And all the rest of it…" Trembling as she thought back to that moment, when four wings of burning orange light rose up into the sky, the purple-haired woman frowned as she returned to the subject at hand. "Anyway, Rits…you, you spend a lot of time with Tai. Has he shown any signs that he might…?"

"Do something drastic?" When Misato nodded, Ritsuko exhaled sharply and leaned back in her chair. "I don't think he'll go that far, but I can't lie to you. He's definitely worried about Mana. And the idea that she might be dead…it's eating him up inside."

"It's that obvious, huh?" Waiting a beat, Misato decided to try and make a joke out of it. "What's the matter, is his performance in bed going flat on you?"

Her nose wrinkled in disgust, Ritsuko leveled a deadly glare at her friend. "Misato, don't even go there," she growled, her voice more like that of a wild animal than anything else. "Because in case you've forgotten, all I need to do is think about spiders, and I'll be capable of killing you in more ways than you shake an Eva at!"

For a brief moment, Misato was tempted to point out that that statement could be construed as confirmation that her theory was correct. But then she processed the look Ritsuko was giving her, and lost any urge to joke around. "Sorry. I was…just…"

"I know, I know. Forget it," Ritsuko muttered, dismissing the Major's apology with a wave of her hand. "Anyway, it's just…for starters, I've caught him staring at that picture he keeps on his desk. You know, the one we took of him, Mana, and Sid when he was…born?" Misato nodded to this, having seen him do this as well. "Also, he's been drinking more. A lot more."

"Drinking?" Misato repeated, thrown by this revelation. "Wait a minute. Tai _drinks?_ I thought he had a computer for a brain! How can he -?"

"His brain isn't purely artificial, Misato. It's integrated with a great deal of living tissue," Ritsuko informed her tersely. "Which means that Tai can get every bit as drunk as you or me."

"Really?" Misato got out, her eyebrows shooting up to the ceiling at this.

"Really. And trust me when I say that I know someone who's drinking to forget when I see them," Ritsuko told her, her voice stern and hard.

Misato knew this. And she had a strong feeling she knew exactly who her friend was referring to by this statement, but refused to allow herself to be distracted by this. "So in other words, what you're telling me is that the cyber-clone who's currently running the most powerful military organization in all of Japan is an emotional wreck."

"It's not surprising, really," Ritsuko admitted, again throwing Misato for a loop. "Tai may look like a man, but you have to remember that he's only been 'alive' for less than a month. And even with all the data he's assimilated, he has virtually no real world experience."

"So there's basically no way of telling how he'll react if it turns out that Mana truly is dead," Misato muttered, to which Ritsuko nodded. "Great. Just great." Placing her hand to her forehead, the Major massaged the headache that had just appeared there for a time before saying, "Rits, I probably don't even have to ask you this, but do me a favor and keep an eye on him. Of all of us besides Sid and Mana, you're the closest person to Tai. So if he shows any signs of going off the deep end…"

"Don't worry, I've been keeping an eye on him. And trying to help him deal with…with everything." Ritsuko allowed herself a slight smile at this. "You know, it's kind of strange when I think about it. Tai's brain is an AI supercomputer, his body is a modified clone of Gendo's…and yet most of the time, he feels even more human than a lot of the people I've known."

"Including Gendo himself, I'd bet," Misato decided, to which Ritsuko nodded playfully. "Well, as glad as I am to hear that you have someone sweet and loveable to snuggle up to in bed, there's one other thing we need to discuss."

"Oh? And dare I ask what that is?" Ritsuko muttered, already certain that she wouldn't like this next topic of conversation.

"As we've already figured out, we're in a bad situation. Mana's gone, Touji's taking off, and we still have to deal with the Angels, SEELE, and Gendo and whoever he's currently working with." Pausing to order her thoughts, Misato leaned forward and added, "And seeing as Mana was ambushed when only a few people knew she was even going to America…"

"I know. There must be a leak in our security," Ritsuko nodded with a heavy frown. "I can't say I'm terribly surprised, though. Gendo pretty much built this place, even before I or Fuyutsuki came here. He probably knows things about NERV and the Geofront that no one else does." The doctor then wrinkled her nose and added, "And he's not the only person we've given the heave-ho to, either."

Misato nodded, knowing exactly what her friend meant. Much of Section 2 had been ousted when Gendo had been deposed, including its former head, Captain Chiron. "I know. There are just too many people who know their way in and out of this place," she muttered before leaning in closer to her friend. "Which is why we need to find some way to increase our defenses."

Ritsuko frowned somewhat, then retorted, "Misato, I've got people working full shifts in order to the get Valkyrie Network back online. And I've already…"

"No. I'm not talking about the Guardsmen," Misato broke in, her voice firm and level. "As powerful as they are, they're still a bunch of mindless drones. We need something better than that if we're going to stand a chance here."

"Like what?" Ritsuko wondered. However, as the two of them continued to look at each other, the doctor let out a tiny gasp of realization. "Wait…are you saying that you want to build another Iron Maiden? But Misato -!"

"I know. I already asked Tai about it, but he said that right now, Sid's the only one who knows how to make the armor," Misato muttered unhappily. "But there has to be something else we can do, Rits! We have all this technology available to us, and you've worked with both the Valkyries and the Guardsmen, so I figured that…!"

"Whoa, hold on, Misato! Before you get too excited, there're a few things you should know," Ritsuko told her gently. "First of all, the Valkyries were based on older versions of Kirishima's technology. They're nothing compared to the Guardsmen, let alone the Iron Maiden and War Machine armors."

"I know, I heard all that," Misato assured her friend. "But still, you have the Guardsmen available to work with. Can't you just…cut one open and...?"

A quick shake of Ritsuko's head sank that possibility. "Mana installed some very sophisticated anti-tampering counter-measures in each of the Guardsmen. If anyone, including me, were to try to open one up to see how it ticked, the arc reactor will overload and fry every circuit they have." With this, Misato leaned forward and placed her hand to her forehead. "Look, I understand what you're saying, but Mana and Sid were very careful about what they gave us. There's just no way we can replicate their armor, or even cook up something that approaches it."

"Alright, fine then! Forget about duplicating the armor!" Misato snapped irritably. "But that doesn't change the fact that we have to come up with something we can use here, and fast!" Growling deep in her throat, the purple-haired woman paused to study her friend, another idea percolating in her mind. "Wait a minute...what about you?"

"What about me?" Ritsuko frowned perplexedly.

"You said it yourself. All you have to do is think about it, and boom! You're packing enough strength and power to take on anything human!" Misato began, already warming to the idea. "Now, is there any way to take…whatever happened to you and…?"

"And use it on someone else?" Ritsuko frowned, her eyes going wide.

"Sure, why not?" Misato demanded.

"Why not? Misato, even if I fully understood what happened to me – which I don't – you're asking me to rewrite a human's existing DNA!" Ritsuko spat out incredulously. "And don't forget that it's not just spider DNA that I've got inside of me! Part of it came from a clone of Rei, which means -!"

"I know! Angel DNA!" Misato grumbled irritably. "Look, I'm not asking for miracles here, Rits! But we need to be ready for when SEELE and Gendo make their moves! And that means we need any and every edge we can come up with before that happens!"

Her mouth popping open, ready to protest, Ritsuko then sighed and raised her hand in defeat. "Alright, Misato. I…I can't make any promises here, but…I will look into it. And I'll assign a team to working on…researching new technology for us to use. Fair enough?"

"Fair enough," Misato nodded. "And Rits? Thanks."

Snorting her annoyance, Ritsuko replied, "Don't thank me just yet. We're still not of the woods yet." Then she narrowed her eyes and asked, "So, do you want to keep these little projects a secret from Tai and Sid, or…?"

Misato considered this possibility for a moment before shaking her head. "No. They're bound to find out what we're working on sooner or later, anyway, and I'd rather not risk alienating them. Sid's got enough reasons not to trust NERV without us adding to them."

"Right. Good thinking," Ritsuko decided. Then the doctor rolled her head to the side and gave a wry smile. "So, will that be all? Or do you have yet another crisis or impossible task for me to accomplish?"

Chuckling despite herself, Misato returned, "No, that'll be all for today." Then she waited a beat before adding, "Although…"

"Oh, crap, I _knew _it…" Ritsuko groaned with a roll of her eyes.

"No, no. Nothing like that!" Misato smiled, enjoying the moment nonetheless. "It's just…with everything that's been going on, I didn't notice, but I just realized that I haven't seen Kaji oozing around anywhere. Have you?"

"No. No, I haven't," Ritsuko admitted. Then she smiled in such way that let Misato know that she was about to regret her bit of fun. "What's the matter, Misato? Do you miss Kaji's bone?"

A moment after she had processed this barbed comment, Misato sat back and gasped in horror, then promptly folded her arms across her chest. "Ugh! Don't be ridiculous!" she sneered, her cheeks puffing out in her irritation. "I just was wondering why he wasn't sliming around the place, that's all!"

Unsurprisingly, Ritsuko just sat there, enjoying her moment before replying, "Well, whatever you wanted him for, I'm sorry to say that I haven't seen Kaji around. But if I do see him, I'll be sure to let him know that you were looking for him."

"I wasn't actually looking – ugh, never mind!" Realizing that any denials she made in regards to her former lover would be met by additional stinging rejoinders by NERV's resident spider lady, Misato growled disgustedly before shooting to her feet. "I've got to get back to work. See you later, Rits!"

"Right. Seeya," Ritsuko answered, already getting back to whatever she had been doing before Misato arrived. Leaving the Major to stomp away, once again losing herself in her worried thoughts.

X

"Oh…_shiiiiit…"_ Mana groaned.

"You know, while I'm not that experienced with kids, I'm pretty sure that that kind of language is unfit for a young lady," Stark commented idly. "Though all things considered, I'm pretty sure anyone would let it slide."

Mana didn't even attempt to say anything to this. All she could do was stare at the various medical readouts before her, everything from x-rays to virtual reality reconstructions to live video. All of it relaying to her the condition she had been when she had been delivered to Stark's bunker.

When she had been escorted into what Stark had called his workshop, Mana had honestly thought she had been ready to see what had happened to her. He had cautioned her that what she was about to see was highly unpleasant, something which she didn't doubt. But even so, nothing had prepared her for the sight of what she had been certain was a corpse. Until she saw that the corpse had her face.

Stark had not exaggerated when he had said that her right arm and legs had been beyond saving. All that had remained of were tattered snatches of torn flesh and shattered bone that had been starved of blood when her armor had applied tourniquets to them in order to keep her from dying of blood loss. And while the rest of Mana's body had been somewhat shielded by her battered armor, it had still suffered horrendous burns to the flesh, as well as horrendous damage inflicted when she had come crashing back down to the earth.

"I'm no doctor, Mana. I don't know all the fancy words for the various diagnoses, but the bottom line is that I almost lost you over a dozen times before I was able to stabilize your condition," Stark told her, something she could believe as she watched the various machines at work, everything from robotic arms to cellular regenerators to nanite-infusion modules laboring to take her shattered body and rebuild it. "And Jarvis…well, I'm pretty sure you don't want to hear the kind of odds he gave against you making it."

"Yeah, I bet. I…" Then Mana frowned and looked up at the former playboy. "Wait a sec…who's Jarvis?"

"My personal AI," Stark replied with a knowing smile. "Come on, Jarvis. You've kept silent long enough. Time to introduce yourself."

"Very good, sir," returned a voice that was tinged with both a British accent and a slight electronic distortion. "Greetings, Mana Kirishima. It's good to see you up and about."

"Uh…it's good to be up. And…to be able to get up, now that I think about it," Mana replied, shooting Stark a look.

Catching the look, Stark shrugged and answered, "Sorry I didn't introduce him sooner, but I figured with everything that's been going on, it'd be best to keep it down to one surprise at a time."

"I guess. Though to be honest, you having an AI of your own doesn't exactly come as a surprise." Then Mana looked about the room, a spark of genuine curiosity to her voice as she asked, "So, what're Jarvis's capabilities? Judging from his voice synthesizer and speech pattern, I'm guessing he's a first generation AI."

"Well, originally, he was. And I while I'm not exactly the most sentimental person around, I did develop attachment for some of his basic support systems," Stark admitted, quirking an odd smile as he eyed his surroundings. "But over the years, I decided to upgrade a few things, including Jarvis's central core."

"Indeed," Jarvis chimed in with could almost have been a hint of pride. "Mr. Stark installed a self-adapting nano-driver into my systems, enabling me to constantly upgrade my basic hardware on a regular basis. And of course, I am capable of upgrading my own programming as I develop."

Nodding thoughtfully, Mana finally decided, "Not bad. Mind if I take a quick peek at your systems some time, Jarvis?"

"Not at all, Ms. Kirishima. Pending Mr. Stark's approval, of course," Jarvis returned.

"Hey, all in good time," Stark chimed in before Mana could even think to ask. "Before we get into all of that, there're a few questions that need to be answered. And since you got yourself blown up coming here, I get the feeling that I'm not the only one who wants some answers."

"That's putting it mildly," Mana nodded.

"Well, in that case, why don't we adjourn to somewhere a bit more comfortable," Stark decided. Before Mana could offer protest, he started out of his workshop. "Jarvis, do me a favor and slap something together for lunch. Nothing fancy; just soup and sandwiches should do just fine."

"Very good, sir," Jarvis replied, his crisp manner that of a true gentlemen's gentleman. "And what you would like to drink, sir?"

"Eh, coffee should be just fine," Stark answered, sounding as if he didn't really care, one way or the other.

"Very well. And what about you, Ms. Kirishima?"

Her mouth hanging open as she tried to adapt to the turnaround, Mana quickly shrugged and decided, "Some mint tea, if you've got any around."

"Of course. It'll be ready in just a moment," Jarvis politely told her even as Mana started after Stark.

"Mr. Stark?" Mana called out, her new legs moving well enough to match the easy pace he was moving at. "Look, Mr. Stark, while I appreciate the fact that you saved my life, I'd rather talk then eat right now."

"I'm sure you would, but it would still be a good idea to get some food in you," Stark returned. "Don't forget you, you haven't eaten in the past few days, and those new growths and implants need nourishment, too."

"But…!" Mana tried to protest, only to be cut off by a long, loud growl that echoed through the halls. As Stark turned to look at her, she realized with deep humiliation that she had effectively been ratted out by her own stomach. "Oh…"

"See? Never argue with your own body," Stark told her with a smug look of triumph. "Now come on. Trust me, we'll have plenty of time to talk."

Mana opened her mouth to try again, only to watch as Stark turned a corner. Leaving her to roll her eyes and follow, her stomach urging her forward with increasing urgency. Before long, she arrived in what looked like a cross between a well done living room and an automated assembly shop. On the one hand, the furniture was all very well done and tasteful, though it was obvious that it had seen some wear and tear over time, with a modern table with computer displays built into it at the center, where Stark was already seated. "Go on, have a seat," he told her as he brought up what looked like technical displays. "Lunch will be ready in, uh…how much longer, Jarvis?"

"Approximately 30.8 seconds, sir," Jarvis replied, the sound of machines at work in the background. Turning to look for the sources, Mana's mouth popped open when she saw a series of mechanical tentacles laboring in a small but functional kitchen. Quick, dexterous three-fingered 'hands' darted this way and that, spreading mayonnaise on slices of bread, getting out various forms of lunch meat, preparing tea and coffee, and several other things that she couldn't even make sense of.

"Well, what can I say?" Stark commented as he sat back in his seat. "Jarvis was already handling building the machines, handling the repairs, so I decided, why not let him handle the cooking as well?" Turning to look as some of the tentacle arms carried in a silver tray loaded with sandwiches. "And I'll be honest with you. It's a good thing I did, because I worked too hard to save your life to let my cooking kill you."

Mana just stood there, staring at the former playboy for what felt like forever, then without even realizing what she was doing, began to chuckle. "Well, sure. Why not? The only thing _I _can make is rice! Assuming I don't manage to burn it before it's even halfway done!"

"Oh, great! We have more in common than I thought!" Stark commented glibly even as the mechanical arms delivered their respective beverages. "Now, come on. Sit back, relax, eat, and we'll talk about what brought you all the way out here."

Before Mana could say anything in response, her stomach once again growled hungrily. "Okay, fine," she muttered as she pulled out a chair and sat herself down. She was about to get right into asking one of the many questions that had piled up in recent days…only to pause as the smell of food wafted up into her nose, triggering additional hungry rumblings from her stomach. Swallowing loudly, she looked down at the numerous sandwiches between herself and Stark, as well as a large bowl of chicken soup. All of which smelled enticingly delicious.

"Well, go right ahead. Dig in," Stark told her as he helped himself to a sandwich. "It's not like I'm stopping you."

Grimacing slightly, Mana looked from the tempting food to Stark and back again, a hunger for knowledge warring for a hunger for nourishment. Ultimately, her stomach managed to override her brain, and the auburn-haired girl quickly reached down for a sandwich, telling herself that she would have just one, then start asking questions. A notion that lasted about as long as it took for her bite into the sandwich, taste the first bit of food she had had in days, chew it for a few seconds…before chomping down the entire thing in three bites and reaching for her next sandwich. Not even caring about the fact that her host and apparent rescuer was smiling the entire time.

X

"Sid, are you _sure _you can't get it done any faster?" Touji asked plaintively. "Seriously, I didn't think my armor was messed up _that _badly!"

"I've already told you, the armor repairs aren't the problem. It's equipping it for this particular mission that's taking time," Sid replied, sounding about as patient as Touji felt. "Even if I stripped your armor bare of all its additional weaponry, there's no way you'll be able to get to America in anything less than a day. And that would mean leaving you essentially defenseless in what could be enemy territory! I might as well be signing your death warrant!"

"B-but what about Mana?" Touji protested worriedly. "The longer it takes for me to get there, then…she might be hurt, or…!"

"Don't you think I know that? Don't you think that I want to go to America myself? To tear that entire country upside down until I find her?" Sid cried out, causing Touji to fall back onto his bed. She looked ready to shout some more, but then frowned and squeezed her eyes shut. "Sorry. I didn't mean to go off on you like that," the AI girl muttered, heaving a few deep breaths. "I mean…I've known Mana since she was born, and now…" Exhaling sharply, she looked soulfully at the boy before her. "I've already had to deal with the death of her father. And if she…"

Blinking a few times, Touji heaved a sigh before sitting up in his bed. "I know what you mean, Sid. Me…my entire family…we all went through hell when I lost my mom." Turning about, he looked out the window of his room in NERV Medical. "So…well…"

"Thanks, Touji," Sid told him. "And believe me, I really do appreciate you going to look for her. I'd do it myself, but…well, I'm the only one left here who knows anything about our tech. And if anything were to happen to me…"

"Yeah. I'm sure Gendo would love to pry open your skull and get his hands on everything you know about this stuff," Touji responded grimly. "Damn…I still can't believe Shin-man's own father is behind…whatever this stuff is." Then he shot a dirty look at Sid before adding, "Not you've told me exactly what he was doing."

"I know. Trust me, you're a lot happier not knowing about what Gendo was up to," Sid informed him. "You'd only have nightmares if you knew what this was all about."

Unimpressed by this assurance, Touji snorted beneath his breath. "So how much longer until that booster drone of yours is up and running?"

"It's almost ready. I just need to make a few more adjustments, as well as finish calibrating its arc reactor," Sid told him. When the jock frowned in response, she smiled lopsidedly and added, "Now, I know that you're not a big fan of waiting, but at least with this way you'll have something to carry any extra equipment and supplies you might need. Including medical supplies. You know…just in case."

"Yeah. Thanks." Then Touji rolled his head to the side and added, "And by the way, thanks again for getting Tai to help get my dad to agree to cover for me while I'm gone."

"Hey, what can I say? When Commander Gendo 'The Bastard King' Ikari tells people to do things, they tend to sit up and take notice," Sid commented in good humor. "Including, fortunately enough, getting someone to accept that his son is now the pilot of an experimental battlesuit and that he's been helping NERV deal with terrorists who actually want the Angels to wipe out humanity!" Then she leaned in closer and grinned impishly. "Though I have to admit, I'm sure glad I wasn't the one who had to tell him that you've been secretly fighting the bad guy and almost got killed in the process!"

His expression souring like a supremely overripe lemon, Touji grumbled, "Thanks for reminding me, Sid. I thought he was gonna kill me after he was done hugging me. Never mind the fact that he promised to ground me for life when I got back home." Then he lowered his eyes somewhat, and muttered, "And the way Rika looked at me…"

"Hey, I'm sorry about this. That Mana and I dragged you into this, and…well, for everything else," Sid told him in utmost sincerity. "But…still, thank you."

"It's no problem, Sid. It's not every guy who gets to save the world, right?" Touji grinned cockily. "Besides, what kind of jerk bails out on his friends, huh?" At this, the AI girl stood there, studying the jock for a time, before eventually breaking out into a spurt of giggles. As her mirth increased, Touji just lay there and frowned, until he finally asked, "Hey, what's so funny?"

"Friends, huh? Is that all?" Sid smirked, chortling that much more. "Are you sure there you don't have a more…personal reason for wanting to bring Mana back home, so she can sleep soundly in her own bed again?"

"Wha…hey, it's not like that!" Touji cried out in protest.

Tilting her head left and right, her turquoise hair seeming to dance in merriment, Sid grinned that much more and asked, "Really? Because that blush of yours says otherwise!"

His mouth opening and closing seemingly at random, Touji stared incredulously at the AI girl before folding his arms across his chest and looking the other way. "Yeah, well, whatever!" he snorted, his face turning an ever deeper red. "Look, if all you're gonna do is sit around and talk about crazy stuff like that, then do me a favor and don't bother! Because I ain't in the mood for it!"

"Okay, okay. But you can't blame me for wanting to have a little fun, now can you?" Sid countered, her grin fading quickly. "After all, fun is something none of us have had much of lately."

"Well…" Touji frowned, unable to counter this point. "Maybe so, but I can live without being the butt of somebody's joke."

"I'll bet," Sid conceded. "Well, if you're not going to let me amuse myself, I might as well get back to work. I still have a few adjustments to make on the drone if we want working for tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me," Touji decided. "So, guess I'll see you later, then."

Nodding playfully, Sid rose to her feet and waved at him before turning to leave. "Right, later." A moment later, the Ai girl was gone, leaving Touji alone.

With nothing but his own thoughts and worries to keep him company.

Mana's arc reactor had exploded. The MAGI were in absolute agreement that this was what had happened. And as much as Touji didn't want to, he could only think of two possible scenarios that could result of this. Either Mana had gotten out of her armor and set it to some kind of autopilot, a distraction for the forces that had been chasing her, and the armor had been subsequently destroyed. In which case she would be unarmed, on foot, and alone. Without any real chance of eluding her enemies, let alone returning to Japan. The only other possibility was that Mana had been inside the armor when the reactor had blown, which would mean that…

'_No! Dammit, don't even think it! Don't even go there, man!'_ Touji howled in his own mind. _She's alive, okay? She…she has to be!'_

Sucking breath after breath, doing his utmost to ram this reality into the depths of his mind, the jock was jolted from his thoughts when he heard the door to his room open. "Okay, Sid, what is it…" Touji began, only for his mouth to fall open when he saw the person who had just intruded on him, "oh."

"Hi, Touji," Shinji spoke, his manner even more subdued than usual as he glanced down at his own feet. "Uh…sorry that I…I didn't stop by sooner, but…" Unable to finish his sentence, the soft-spoken Third Child shrugged. "So…can I come in?"

"Uh…" Touji hesitated, his mouth hanging open as he tried to make sense of his friend's presence. A series of incomprehensible noises escaped his lips as he tried to think of something to say. 'You're already in' was one possibility, with 'what the heck are you doing here?' another. Ultimately, all he could say was, "Sure, Shin-man."

After a moment's hesitation, Shinji came up to the his friend's side. Pulling up a convenient chair, the Third Child sat down, the two boys looking into each other's eyes. "So…"

"So…" Touji tried himself, once again trying to think of something clever to say. Once again, his capacity for wit failed him, leaving him to sigh wearily. "I'm guessing Misato-sama told you about…well, you know."

Nodding weakly, Shinji answered, "She did. Well…she and Sid."

"Hmph. I should've figured it was no coincidence that you showed up when you did," Touji muttered crossly, determined to have it out with the AI girl before he departed. "So…just how much did she tell you?"

"Um…she told me about…your armor. And how you…got hurt saving Sid." Letting out a despairing sigh, Shinji slumped forward, looking as if a planet had just landed squarely between his shoulders. "And…they told me about…that you're going to look for Mana."

"Eh…" Touji began, feeling as if another planet had found its way onto his own shoulders. "Uh, yeah, man. I mean…you heard about what happened to her, right? About how…well…"

"Yeah, uh, I…I heard," Shinji returned. "I, uh…I hope that she's…well, that you - you find her, and..."

"Yeah. I'm hoping that myself." After this was said, an uncomfortable silence fell between the two boys, with both of them casting glances at each other. Both of them trying to think of what to say next, or how to continue the current line of conversation. But as Touji struggled to do so, he couldn't help but be a bit little wary.

Whatever had gone done the day Shinji's father had been arrested, Touji knew that it had had a heavy impact on his friend. Shinji had always tended to be quiet and reserved, even under the best of circumstances, but ever since that day, the morose Third Child and avoided almost every attempt made to hold a conversation with him. Basically going through the motions of life, rather than truly living it. Virtually all the emotion and expressionism that he had begun to show since he had befriended him gone as if it had never existed.

As Touji continued to try and think of something to say to the stranger that one of his best friends had become, Shinji gulped loudly. "Touji…is it true? What Sid told me?" he asked, looking at the jock with the saddest eyes he had ever seen before. "That…Father was the one…who sent those men? The ones that…that…?"

His mouth popping open, allowing noises of hesitation to escape, Touji considered his next words before finally admitting, "They…they said that…their boss was called Ikari, so…yeah, I guess so." The instant this was said, Shinji slumped that much more, looking like a puppet being supported by only one string, and that string was fraying rapidly. "Shin-man, you…"

"Then…it's true. He's behind…everything," Shinji muttered, tears of grief and shame and pure, abject misery welling up in his eyes. "I didn't want to believe it, but…"

"Shinji…" Touji began, only for his tongue to fall flat in his mouth.

"He killed Mana's father…Asuka's mother…he did…everything that Misato said he did," Shinji moaned, tears falling down his cheeks in a veritable shower of wretchedness. "He tried to have you killed…he had Mana…"

"Whoa, whoa!" Touji broke in, not even wanting to hear what his friend was about to say. "We don't know she's dead, Shin-man! I don't believe she's gone, and I'm not _going _to believe it until I see a body! Got that?"

"I…I didn't mean that…I…I just…" His own words failing him, Shinji moaned, letting his hands fall into his lap. "Touji…do you know what happened…after my mother died?"

Sitting up straighter, Touji struggled to field this ball that had come clear out of left field. "Well…not exactly. Just what…you told me. Why?"

Sniffing loudly, Shinji continued to look at his friend, his eyes seeming to dissolve behind the way of grief that they continued to issue. "Do you know…what my father was doing...after he sent me away?" Unsure of what he could say to this, Touji simply sat there and listened. "He did whatever he could…to make me want to die."

"_What?"_ Touji barked, his eyes wide with astonishment. Noises that were a cross between coughs and laughes escaped his lips before he was able to say, "Shin-man…look, I know your father is a major creep, but that -!"

"It was all there. In the files Misato showed me," Shinji pressed on, shuddering as he spoke. "For…for ten years, he had…my teacher watching me. People…tracking me day after day. Doing whatever they could…to keep me…alone." Seeming to choke on this word, the Third Child clenched his fists, his lips pressed together as some of his pain twisted and churned, turning into something else. "He…he had…people hired away…children killed…kidnapped…all because he wanted me…to want to kill myself…"

Another round of huffing sounds issued from Touji's mouth as he struggled to make sense of this. "But…b-but…Shinji, that doesn't make any sense! Wh-why would he -?"

"I…it was in the files. Father...he and the people he was working for…wanted to cause Third Impact. They…wanted to end the world," Shinji sniffled. "And the only way they could do that…was if the pilot of Unit-01…wanted to die."

"_Whhaaaatt?"_ Touji shrilled, his face falling completely from this latest shock. "They – they really wanted – but – how – why -?"

"I don't know. I don't why he…wanted to do it." Giving a limp shrug, Shinji again let go a heavy sigh. "Misato…there was a lot of stuff in the files, and…I know she didn't want to talk about it. Maybe…she just didn't want to tell me why. All I know is…for some reason…Unit-01…can't be piloted by…anyone…but me."

"No! I didn't mean – well, yeah, I meant that, too! But – why the hell would anybody want to _cause_ Third Impact?" Touji demanded.

Now it was Shinji's turn to look surprised. "You…you mean…Sid didn't tell you?"

"No. It seems that she and Mana have developed a nasty habit of not telling me certain things like that," Touji declared with a cross grunt. "As soon as I find her, I'm going to have to have a chat with her about that." After a moment, he let his momentary annoyance fade as he returned his attention to his friend. "So…any chance you can fill in some of the details?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure," Shinji muttered unhappily. "But…just…do me a favor, okay?"

"Sure. What's the favor?" Touji answered.

"Just…please…even if you don't find Mana…please make sure that…you come back. Okay?" Shinji pleaded him with the air of a man dying of thirst begging for water. "Father…he's already killed some of my friends. And…if he's the one who had Mana…attacked, then…please, I…I don't want him to…to kill you, too."

It took a few moments for Touji to respond to this, and when he did, he did so with a boisterous smile. "Shin-man, trust me. If I do wind up bumping into your dad or any of his buddies, than _they'll_ be the ones in trouble, not me!" Shinji didn't say anything to this. However, the jock was pleased to see a tiny spark of a smile appear on his face. The closest thing to a sign of positive emotion he had seen from his friend in what felt like forever. "Now, do me a favor and fill me in here? If I'm going to be a part of this, then I need to know what the stakes are."

"Uh…okay," Shinji nodded solemnly.

X

"So that's what this is all about, huh?" Stark frowned as Mana concluded her narrative.

"Yeah. Apparently, these creeps – SEELE or whatever you want to call them – have decided that humanity as it is isn't good enough and that they want to be immortal and for everyone to be all merged together in an Angel," Mana garbled out from around the latest sandwich she had shoved into her mouth. "Now, I know it might sound pretty crazy, but…"

"Crazy? After some of the nuts _I've_ had to deal with?" Stark commented with a wry curl to his lips. "One of these days, I'm going to have to tell you about some of the whackos I had to smack around. Then you can tell _me _what sounds crazy!"

Not doubting the former playboy's word, Mana paused to down some of her beverage. "Well, I've been answering your questions, Stark," she told him, as she reached for her soup. "Now I think it's high time you answered some of mine."

"No arguments here," Stark decided. "So, what did you want to ask me about?"

After pausing to consider the matter, Mana then decided, "Well…let's start with Dr. Tanaka and the War Machine armor."

Jolted by this, Stark sat up straighter and gave Mana an incredulous look. "War Machine? What...?"

"That's what we've taken to calling this armor he and Sid made," Mana explained. "It's loaded with just about every gun they could cram onto it. So…" Smiling and make a sound of comprehension, Stark nodded as the auburn-haired girl continued. "Anyway, I know neither Sid or I made the arc reactors for either that armor, or hers. And Tanaka, he didn't have the equipment or the knowledge to make them himself. So I'm wondering who might have given them to him."

Nodding somewhat, Stark smiled and answered, "Well, wonder no more. I did it."

"You did. You were the one who gave Dr. Tanaka those arc reactors?" Mana spoke in a pointed manner.

"That's what I'm saying," Stark confirmed.

Hesitating as she studied her apparent rescuer, Mana then leaned in asked, "And Dr. Tanaka didn't mention this fact…because?"

"Because, uh, I told him not to?" Stark explained. "No offense, Mana, but while I'm certain that Sid could keep a secret, but I got the feeling that your jock friend had a big mouth. And I didn't want to take a chance of word getting out that I'm still amongst the living."

"What? Wait, you mean…you saw Touji?" Mana frowned, genuinely surprised by this development. "But…wait a minute! If that's the case, then…why all the secrecy? Why have you been hiding out all this time?"

"Now, that's going to take a bit more time to explain," Stark admitted before glancing off towards the kitchen. "Jarvis, do me a favor and refill our guest's drink? Might as well be comfortable and all." Then he frowned and asked, "I don't suppose you need to go to the bathroom, do you?"

"No. And even if I did, I wouldn't let it get in the way," Mana informed him in a dangerous tone. "I've waited too long and gone through too much for this story. I'm not going to wait for it any longer."

"Ah, the impatience of youth. I remember that well," Stark smiled broadly even as mechanical arm appeared and refilled Mana's glass. "Ah, thank you, Jarvis. Now, let's see…you know about Second Impact, right? Global annihilation, countries falling? The world governments working together to patch everything up, while a whole bunch of Third World dictatorships sprang up all over the place? I mean, I know the school system is as pathetic as ever, but I would hope they told you that much."

"They gave me the gist," Mana confirmed.

"Okay, good," Stark nodded. "Now, my involvement in this mess takes place a year or two before that all went down, and it started in a fairly…well, I wouldn't use the word innocent, but let's just say that I didn't have a clue as to the kind of mess I was going to land in headfirst." Pausing to make sure that Mana was keeping up with him, the former playboy sat back in his seat. "I was approached by another company, offering me a partnership in a new venture. They wanted my help in developing a new, completely revolutionary defense system."

"The Evangelions?" Mana guessed.

"Got it in one," Stark confirmed. "Now, at the time, I had gotten out of the weapons-making business, so I basically told them to go soak their heads. Well, that isn't _exactly _what I said; I wasn't nearly that polite. But you get the idea." Despite herself, Mana chuckled as she took a sip of her soup. "Naturally enough, that wasn't the end of it. I had several more offers from various people, telling me that I should really contribute my tech to Project: E, as well as several other little projects of theirs, if I knew what was good for me. And for a while, I was stuck fielding everything from generous offers to flagrant threats to out-and-out theft of my equipment and technology. But ultimately, it wasn't anything I couldn't handle."

"You mean, nothing that _Iron Man _couldn't handle," Mana smiled. When Stark held up his hands in a 'what can you do' fashion, she shook her head. "I still can't believe I didn't make the connection right away. When Sid told me about the I-System…"

"Yeah, well, you had more pressing matters to deal with. It happens," Stark told her.

"Maybe," Mana conceded. "So…what happened next?"

"A little something called Second Impact. That's what happened," Stark stated, all humor gone from his voice. "When all those disasters went down and the UN decided that we had to mobilize everything we could in order to put the planet back together again, a certain group of people, aka the Instrumentality Committee, demanded that I hand over all of my company's resources. They made a case that my technology was absolutely essential to putting the world back on track."

"And did you?" Mana asked.

"Of course not. I knew what they were really after; just grabbing my tech for their dirty ends," Stark grumbled, taking a swig of his coffee. "And I called them on it. Offered the services of Stark Industries in helping to repair the damage. But it didn't do me a lot of good."

"Why not?" Mana wondered. "If you were offering to help, then…"

"Well, part of it is that someone by the name of Keel said that one company could do only so much. But the entire world armed with that same company's technology could do a lot more," Stark explained. "And, unfortunately, a lot of people that I've managed to piss off were all too eager to agree with him."

"Ah. I think I get it," Mana decided. "My dad once told me that you weren't a big fan of giving away your technology."

"A smart man, your father," Stark commented with solemn smile. "Unfortunately, there's no technology that's so innocent and pure that some idiot can't twist into a nightmare. Which is why I made damned sure that it didn't get into the wrong hands." Then he heaved a tired sigh. "Unfortunately, I found myself outgunned then. SHIELD and the UN and a whole bunch of others decided that they wanted my tech, one way or another. So they ordered me to hand over my entire life's work, and when I didn't do that, they legalized the takeover of my company, and took it apart for everything they could get."

"Wow," Mana moaned, all she could think of saying in the face of such a statement. At the revelation that the man before her had been forced to watched helplessly as everything in his life had been stripped away from him. "I…I'm sorry. I…" Shaking her head, she hesitated before asking, "So…what did you do then?"

"I did the only thing I could do; make sure that nobody got my tech," Stark declared with a certain grim vindictiveness. "After backing up the central database here and relocating as much of my equipment and such to certain…secure locations, I overloaded the Stark Industries database. Fried every last bit and byte in the thing." Snorting a laugh, he then let out a low whistle before adding, "Wow. I only wish you could have seen the look on Fury's face when he saw what I'd done."

"Fury?"

"Long story. Let's just say that he's not one of my favorite people and leave it that for now," Stark told her. "Anyway, I was tempted to leave it at that, but that's when I ran into another problem. After the UN and the Committee found out what I had done, they had me declared a criminal, a seditionist, and quite a few other things. And they made it clear that I was to be hunted to the ends of the earth until I was either dead or had coughed up my tech for their use. Preferably both."

Letting out a low breath, Mana took a sip of her tea. "Which explains why you went into hiding," she decided. "But…that still doesn't explain why you gave Dad some of your technology."

"Actually, it does," Stark told her. "I knew that, whatever the Committee was up to, it was bad. I'd learned enough about the Evangelions to know that there was a lot more going on about them that they were telling people. And with me being declared an international criminal and saboteur of the restoration of the world…well, I'll admit it. I've picked a few fights that had some of my friends rolling their eyes at me, but even I knew that I couldn't fight the entire world. Not without some kind of hard evidence as to what the Instrumentality Committee and who knows who else was after." The former businessman frowned in thoughtful manner, as if he were reviewing his choice of strategy. "There were just too many people eager to get their hands on what I had created. Greedy, shiftless, self-important goons like Hammer and Roxxon who'd rather take what they wanted instead of make it."

"Goons that put the odds in SEELE's favor," Mana gathered.

"Exactly. And if they had ever tracked me down…well, that would have been that." Clearly disgusted by this, Stark leaned in towards Mana, and looked at her with increasing intensity. "So, I called together some of the staff of Stark Industries. People from different branches, different departments, anybody I felt that I could trust, and I gave them…well, not _all _my tech, but enough. Enough to let them set up labs and even small bases of their own, and hopefully expand on some of the original technologies."

A moment passed as Mana studied her rescuer. "That's not all you were hoping for, was it," she realized. "You were hoping they could help you figure out what SEELE was trying to do, weren't' you. To get that 'hard evidence' you needed."

"Hmph. You're Hiro's daughter alright. He was real quick on the uptake as well." As Mana sat there, she could have sworn that she could see the past in Stark's eyes. "I can still remember when I called him and all the others together. I didn't have to do much explaining before he got the picture. I mean…hell, they all knew what was coming, but he…" Letting out a weary exhale, the former playboy looked squarely at Mana. "They all swore to protect what I'd given them. And more than that. Each and every one of them promised that they would use it. Not just to get the goods on the Committee, but to strike back at them. To find out what they had planned, and stop them."

"No matter the cost," Mana breathed lowly.

"Yeah. Unfortunately, that promised has already cost some of them dearly. Just like your father." A deep, abiding sadness was seen in Stark's eyes as he studied her. "Mana, I…I'm sorry about what happened to him. And believe me, if there were any way for me to…take back what's happened to you, I would. But…I did what I thought was right back then, same as he did. And…"

Mana didn't respond right away. She couldn't. There was just too much that she had been told. So many things to consider, revelations like her father's role in Stark's plans, and everything it had cost him and her personally. And at the same time, she had to consider all the dangers that she was now facing. Dangers that seemed even more intense than they had before Gendo had been deposed, and she had learned the truth about NERV. And she looked at the man before her, and she found herself asking if she would have done anything different from what he had.

When Mana realized that she couldn't say that she wouldn't have, she said, "I understand." A tiny spark of relief appeared in Stark's eyes at this. "So…what do we do now?"

"Now, we get busy," Stark declared. "From what you've told me, it sounds as if SEELE can't make their move until the last Angel is dead, so we have some time to head those bastards off. I say we use that time to get us both into fighting trim, so we'll be ready to take them down. Also, you need time to adjust to your new…parts. I figure a little sparring would make for some good physical therapy."

"Sparring? As in fighting?" Mana replied with a raised eyebrow. "Wait a minute. You know how to fight? As in hand-to-hand?"

"Hey, when you get into the hero business, you pick up a few things along the way," Stark returned. "We'll also have to get to work on some new armor for you, and arrange to get over to Japan. Since your friends at NERV have all this intel on SEELE and their buddies, I say we use it."

"But Fuyutsuki said that they couldn't," Mana protested. "That their communications were monitored, and…!"

"I know. But we're not going to just send it to the UN, Mana. We're going to take that information, and use it ourselves," Stark told her. "SEELE's been running the show from on high for fifteen years. Now I think it's high time we took the fight to _them_."

Her eyes and mouth popping open, Mana looked at Stark for the longest time…before a deadly smile curled about her lips. "I like the way you think, Mr. Stark."

"Why thank you, Mana," Stark returned. "And please, call me Tony." Standing up from the table, the original armor-user brushed his hands briskly together. "Well…shall we get started?"


	19. Hero In Return, Part 1

The long awaited 19.

* * *

As Mana carefully moved about the interior of the large gym and training room that Stark had developed, she couldn't help but feel awkward. And not simply because of the way her right continued to pull her slightly off-balance. It was the entirety of her situation.

She had succeeded in her quest. Mana had succeeded in finding Tony Stark, a man thought by many to be long dead, nearly dying herself in the process. She had woken up in a hidden bunker created, saved and rebuilt by the same man she had searched out, almost afraid to look at her own body, to see the well-crafted techno-organic limbs that had taken the place of her flesh and blood. But at the same time, there was a part of her that couldn't help but be fascinated with these new components of her physiology, a part that was buzzing with questions that she had yet to have time to ask.

_'And I won't be having the time to do it anytime soon,'_ Mana knew as she looked off to the side, where another bizarre component of her situation was presently performing a gymnastic routine that would be the envy of many professional athletes, swinging and pivoting seemingly without effort from a pair of rings that hung several feet above the floor.

This alone was incredible and disorienting for Mana, simply because it seemed so completely out of character for the man she was looking at. The Tony Stark remembered by the world at large, the billionaire playboy who owned Stark Industries was many things. A technological genius, philanthropist, as well as something of a flake who was more likely to dodge a meeting to work on some new invention or toddle off to a casino to amuse himself with both gambling and the local lovelies. And he certainly hadn't been in the kind of shape needed to attempt the feats he was performing, let alone had the skill to attempt them even with the Iron Man armor.

"You know, Mr. Stark, when I came out here to look for you, I was expecting a lot of things," Mana commented as Stark ended his routine, releasing the rings to land perfectly on the tips of his toes. "But I _wasn't_ expecting somebody who could outdo a monkey on the monkey bars!"

Smirking at this comment, Stark grabbed up a towel from a nearby table. "Well, it's like I told you, Mana. When you get into the hero business, you pick up a few things." Then he grabbed a glass of orange juice before narrowing his eyes at her. "And I think I told you to call me 'Tony'."

"Uh - right," Mana answered, wincing as she remembered this little item. "So...you said we were going to do some sparring."

"That's right," Stark replied, pausing to take a swig of his juice. "Nothing fancy, mind you. I just want to get you moving better, and get used to...well..."

Nodding her understanding as the bedraggled former playboy trailed off, Mana couldn't help but glance down at her right arm before replying, "I get the part about this being physical therapy. But...other than that, I'm still not sure what good this is gonna do."

"A lot of good," Stark retorted, this time a bit sternly. "As you've already noticed, I've been keeping track of NERV's activities, as well as yours. And from what I've seen of your fighting style, we've got a lot of work to do." Placing his hands to his hips, he studied the auburn-haired girl for a time before saying, "I'm guessing you didn't take any martial arts or self-defense classes before you first got into that armor. Am I right?"

"Well...yeah," Mana replied somewhat self-consciously.

"Thought so," Stark nodded. "Everything I've seen of you in action makes it pretty clear that you don't know how to fight."

Stung by this remark and the blunt manner in which it was delivered, Mana narrowed her eyes at her rescuer. "What's _that _supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Stark answered, still speaking in that same blunt fashion. "Now, I admit that I've been relying on footage and witness reports, but even so, it all adds up to your fighting-style consisting primarily of tackling your enemies or blasting them."

"Hey, it's been working so far!" Mana retorted defensively. "Besides, it's not like I was planning on making a career out of this when it all started!"

Stark just looked at her, his expression softening somewhat. "Neither was I, to be honest," he admitted with a wry smile. "But like it or not, we still both have a job to do. And if you want to live through it, that means sharpening your fighting skills."

"But what good is that going to do?" Mana demanded with greater heat. "I don't see how a little sparring or martial arts practice is going to help me against an Angel, or a tank or a goon in armor! And even if it did...it must've taken you _years _to get as good as you are! And we don't _have _years!"

"Good questions," Stark noted with a hint of amusement. "To answer the first one, training yourself to immediately respond to a threat will help you avoid winding up a target for an Angel. And as for those other things...you'd be surprised how often you run into trouble against goons in powered armor and tanks. And how a little hand-to-hand know-how will save the day...and your skin." Cocking her head to the side, Mana shot him a disbelieving look, to which he smiled and answered, "Take it from me, it happens more often than you might believe. And as for your second question...it won't take nearly so long to get into fighting trim as you think."

"Oh, really?" Mana asked in a snarky fashion. "What, you got some miracle invention that's going to turn me into a martial arts wiz overnight?"

"No, but I _do _have one that will accelerate the process of mastering various martial skills, as well as the development of your body to be able to be able to handle them." Seeming to enjoy the baffled look this earned him, Stark went on to explain, "Remember how I mentioned that I had to do more than replace your arm and legs?"

Opening her mouth to answer, Mana's voice failed as niggling suspicion popped into her mind. "Wait a second...I thought you said that you _didn't _throw in any extra stuff when you were putting me back together again."

"That's right. And I didn't," Stark told her, almost sounding amused by the question. "At least, I didn't throw in any repulsors or hidden weapons or anything of that nature."

"Which means...?" Mana asked with a mounting sense of suspicion.

Giving her a lopsided smile, Stark studied her for a time before shaking his head. "C'mon, Mana. You saw the modifications I made. I had to put techno-organic implants into pretty much your entire body in order for you to survive. Your nervous system was overloaded, and..."

"I know, I know!" Mana replied, shuddering slightly at the thought at what had been done to her, necessary as it may have been. "But what does that have to do with sparring and learning how to fight?"

"Bottom line, the neuro-processors and techno-organic implants will allow your body to learn the basic moves several times faster than normal, as well as stimulate your body in developing the necessary physical strength and stamina you need to pull them off." Pausing to flex his right arm and admire the bicep that popped up to say hello, Stark smiled and added, "As you can see, they work wonders."

Studying the musculature of the former playboy, Mana couldn't help but agree. That didn't stop her from raising an eyebrow and playfully asking, "Isn't that cheating?"

"Hey, what's the use of having all this tech around if you can't use it to make your life a bit easier?" Stark responded with a wry smile. A smile that promptly disappeared as he added, "Besides, in case you haven't noticed, the bad guys don't make a habit of pulling their punches. So I say it's better to be ready to take whatever they dish out. And the faster, the better."

Pressing her lips together, Mana considered the matter. She still wasn't entirely comfortable with the many liberties that were taken with her body, but she had to admit that this training that Stark was advocating could be done in a reasonable timeframe, than she really had no reason not to go ahead with it. _'Besides, it's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon,'_ she added inwardly. _'Not until I can move right again...and have a new suit of armor to get me back to Japan or wherever I wind up going next.'_

With these thoughts in mind, Mana sighed before saying, "So...how do we do this?"

"Well, let's see," Stark began, giving her a thoughtful look. "I think the best way to start would be with some basic katas."

"Katas?" Mana repeated blankly, a bit surprised by this.

"Sure. It's a good way to familiarize yourself with the changes to your body, as well as start acquainting the neuro-processors with the basic moves," Stark explained to her. Then he quirked a grin and added, "Besides, with Jarvis already taking care of everything, it's not I like need you to do any 'wax on, wax off' or anything like that!"

Mana raised an eyebrow at this. "Huh?" she got out, looking querulously at Stark. "What's the supposed to mean?"

"Eh, nothing. Just a movie reference. Before your time," Stark replied, rolling his eyes as he did so. "Anyway, let's get started. We still have a lot of work ahead of us."

"No arguments here," Mana replied, watching as Stark took a peculiar stance.

"Alright, now just watch, and do your best to follow my movements," Stark instructed her. Nodding to this, Mana took up a similar stance, watching as her rescuer and current mentor began moving in a slow, precise fashion that she did her best to emulate.

X

As Touji stood in converted NERV maintenance bay, his heart pounded with fear and anticipation. The moment he had been waiting for since he had first learned of the detonation of Mana's arc reactor finally upon him as he stood at the center of a specifically designed platform, surrounded by yellow robotic arms that were presently assembling his refurbished and repaired armor about his body.

"Are you sure I can't convince you to hitch a ride with a NERV transport?" Misato asked as the armor took shape about him, the arms moving with precision as they placed the individual components on him, then tightened the connection. "I know it might take a bit longer, but it would be a more comfortable flight." Then the Major quirked an odd smile and added, "Not to mention that I think it would be a good idea if nobody saw you blasting up and away from the Geofront!"

"I appreciate that, Misato. But like you said, it would also take longer to get there. And as far as I'm concerned, we've already taken too much time," Touji announced, his voice tensing as he looked hard at the well-intentioned females that had succeeded in keeping him from going this long. "Look, I know you mean well, but every second counts here! Mana's out there, all on her own...possibly hurt, and -!" Wincing as he realized the dread possibility he was about to give voice to, he sucked in a hushed gasp to force it back to the depths of his mind. Taking a few more breaths to steady himself, he waited as the arms slid his helmet in place. "Misato… she's my…friend. She needs my help and I'm not going to wait for a plane or anything else." The Major let out a weary sigh at this, which prompted him to smile. "Besides, if I run into anybody looking for a fight, I can deliver one. And without endangering a flight crew."

"Ah, such nobility" Sid joked as she stared at the control terminal attached to the equipment, dressed in a standard NERV technical uniform. The bandages wrapped around her head making it impossible for her to wear her armor, to pretend that she was Iron Maiden. "Okay, Touji. Your armor systems are looking good. But keep in mind that I had to remove some of your heavier armaments in order to make room for the docking clamps for the booster drone. You'll still be more than a match for your standard jet fighter or whatever, but remember, this is a rescue mission, so try and not get in any trouble." Then she gave him a look and added, "Not without good reason, anyway."

"Understood," Touji nodded, giving the mental command that caused his faceplate to fall into position.

"Alright. I trust you've said your goodbyes, right?" Misato asked with a sense of impatience. Answering this with a nod, Touji watched as she sighed and told him. "Okay. Now once you've made it to America, I want you to do your best to avoid being detected. And in the event that you have to talk to someone over there, make sure you don't speak any Japanese. We're going to have enough trouble without an international incident. There's only so much I can cover up."

Touji couldn't help but smile at this, as well as the way Misato rubbed her temples, somehow saying _'__These kids will be the death of me'_ without actually saying it. But before he could say anything to this, including the fact that the only language he knew outside of Japanese was bad language, Sid piped up and assured her, "That won't be a problem. The suit's OS has a GPS based translation matrix. Everything he says will come out in the official language of whatever country he's in. Which in this case is English. At the same time everything said to him will be translated to Japanese, seamlessly."

"Well, that's good to know." Inclining his helmet slightly towards Sid, Touji asked, "I don't suppose you want to come along?"

"What? And miss out on all the fun diagnostics here? Perish the thought!" Sid hastily replied. When Touji chuckled in response, she sobered somewhat and added, "Still, somebody has to stay here, just in case more goons show up while you're out of town." Then she quirked another smile and added, "After all, it's not like Misato can take them all out using construction equipment. This most recent even notwithstanding, of course."

"That really was brilliant by the way, truly, Miss Misato." Touji quipped with a smile in his voice.

Misato laughed nervously, "Ah well, inspiration stuck me!" Then she glanced over at Sid, and added, "Sometimes, you just have to make do with the tools at hand."

"Uh, right," Sid replied, a shadow falling on her face. After a moment of looking at Misato, she cleared her throat and focused on Touji. "Okay, everything looks to be in place. Just one more thing to do." With that, the AI girl looked down towards the other end of the maintenance bay, where a device that looked much like a small-scale version of the massive transports that were used to airlift the Evangelions waited, resting on a series of mechanical arms.

"How's the drone check out?" Misato asked as Sid once again worked her terminal.

"Everything looks good here," Sid reported. Then she shot Misato a sideways glance and added, "And just for the record, this isn't just a drone we're dealing with. It's an In-flight Refit Vehicle with Interactive Neuromimetic Gear."

"Whatever," Misato replied disinterestedly. "And just how is IRVING over there different from a drone?"

"Because Touji will be able to perfectly control him the same way he can his armor; through thought," Sid explained with a hint of braggadocio. "And better than that, it's fully capable of providing emergency medical treatment, as well as making on-the-spot repairs, and modifying any technology he finds and integrating it with his armor." Then she shot the Major a grin and added, "Heck, if he can find enough oil over there, he can even use it to make a nanotech bath to build Mana a new suit of armor to bring her home in, if he has to!"

"Really?" Misato replied, her eyes widening with obvious interest. "Well, not bad, Sid! Especially for a rush job!"

"It wasn't all _that _rushed," Sid reported. "I made the basic design for it back when we were planning Mana's rescue. I didn't have time to finish it back then, let alone build it, but now..."

"But now, can we get a move on?" Touji asked with increasing impatience. "No offense, Sid, I'm sure IRVING's going to come in real handy, but still -!"

"Right! Time's a-wasting!" Sid declared with a wry smile. "Activating Eva launch gates...now!" With this declaration, she pressed a few controls, causing one of the launch bays off in the distance to open up. "I'm linking IRVING to your command systems, Touji. Once that's done, you'll be good to go!"

Nodding to this, Touji then turned to the Operations Director. "So..." he began hesitantly. "Any words of wisdom before I take off?"

"You mean aside from the ones that you won't listen to?" Misato replied, her words dripping with sarcasm. Unable to help himself, Touji chuckled as she made a face. "Just be careful out there, okay? And whether or not you...find Mana, make sure you come back in one piece. I feel bad enough, putting Shinji and the others' lives on the line. I don't need you on my conscience as well."

"Don't worry, Misato. I'll be back...with Mana," Touji assured her. "Are we ready, Sid?"

"Ready!" Sid replied, giving him a thumbs-up.

Nodding to this, Touji studied the data streaming before him on his HUD. As she said, IRVING was now fully connected and ready for remote command. "Well, in that case, I guess the only thing left for me to say is...thrusters on!" Holding out his hands with the palms down, he felt the firing of his palm- and foot-mounted repulsors firing, along with his back-mounted thrusters. The combined thrust instantly launched him into the air.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Touji was almost giddy as he flew up, looking about the maintenance towards the unmanned wing that crouched nearby. Focusing on it, he reached out with his mind, prompting IRVING to rise up, to take flight. As it turned out, that thought was all he needed. With a powerful, the refit vehicle's engines came to life, lifting it into the air.

"So far, so good!" Touji commented, satisfied that everything was working as it should. "You do good work, Sid!"

"You're only saying that for one reason," Sid commented, her voice crisp and clear in his helmet. "Because it's true."

"Never said that it wasn't!" Touji replied as he angled himself towards the elevator and launched himself towards it. Soon he was rising up towards the surface, looking at the pinprick of blue that was already growing larger. Then he glanced down at the datastream that indicated IRVING's status and position relative to him. Making sure that it kept an even pace with him as he shot out into the open air.

_'So far, so good!'_ Touji thought with a sense of satisfaction. _'Alright, IRVING! Initiate docking procedure!'_

The shift in the datastream was the only indication that the autonomous wing had received this command before it closed in. Moving in perfect synch with him, IRVING reached out with its mechanical arms, grabbing hold of the War Machine armor by the shoulders and hips before drawing itself closer, lining up with the docking clamps Sid had placed there.

There was a slight clank as IRVING locked itself in place, followed by a hissing of machinery. Satisfied that the procedure had gone smoothly, Touji spoke though the armor's com-systems. "Looks like we're good to go, Sid!"

_"Looks that way on this end. __Telemetry looks good, your flight path is clear, no malfunctions detected,"_ Sid reported. _"I'm plotting a course that will avoid any populated areas as you head out to the Pacific Ocean. Once you reach America, the armor will guide you to where Mana reported being intercepted. Now, I've recorded all the data we have, including the area where we recorded her arc reactor detonating, so at least you'll have a general idea of where to start looking."_

"Got it, Sid!" Touji reported, watching as the needed information played across his HUD.

_"Now remember, once you're in international waters, maintain radio silence,"_ Misato told him. _"Don't try and contact us. I don't want a repeat of what happened to Mana. If we need to reach you, it'll be over the NERV priority channel. Understood?"_

"Read you lot and clear, Misato," Touji replied as he activated the automatic guidance systems in his armor. "Setting course for America right now! Wish me luck!"

_"I'll wish you a whole mountain of luck!" _Sid informed him. _"And if you bring Mana back alive, I'll personally hack the lottery and make you a millionaire!"_

"Heh! I don't think I could ask for a better deal than that!" Touji replied as his armor followed the course laid out for it. IRVING's more powerful thrusters boosting him forward much faster than he could have hoped to fly on his own.

X

For the most part, Tai hated the office that had once belonged to Gendo Ikari. He hated it as much as an AI such as himself was capable of the emotion. He hated the perpetual darkness, the bizarre equations that were inscribed on the walls and floor, he hated how small it made him and other feel. He just hated it.

But as he sat behind his desk, taking a generous sip of his third glass of brandy that day, Tai couldn't help but feel quite at home in the oppressive darkness of what was known among the people of NERV as Gendo's Lair. It fitted the darkness that was inside him perfectly.

_'Mana...'_ he thought, staring at the picture that had been taken the day he had first come online. Looking at the face that was the very first thing he had ever seen. His creator. Technically his mother. The person who had brought him into existence and given him a purpose. A person that was gone from this place. And possibly even...

_'No! Dammit, no! Don't even _think _that!'_ Tai thought, clenching his free hand as his eyes watered. A wad of bile forming in his throat as his mind once again worked to conjure up images of the many worst-case scenarios he knew could very well be reality. _'But they're _not _real! And Mana _isn't _dead! She's alive! She...she has to be..._

As his spark of inner defiance died out, Tai sighed, pausing to mop the tears from his eyes before taking another sip of the brandy. Grateful for this marvelous human invention that made joyous occasions even better...and helped ease the agonizing emotions that had haunted him since he had learned of the detonation of Mana's arc reactor. And while he knew that overindulging in such beverages was ultimately bad for the continued health of his organic body, at that moment, he couldn't have cared less.

_'How do they live through this?'_ Tai found himself wondering as he studied the glass in his hand, sorely tempted to finish it off and pour himself another one. To drown himself in booze until he just couldn't think anymore. _'I never imagined that feelings...could hurt so much! I...I never thought...'_

"Commander Ikari," came a sudden voice, one that jolted Tai from his thoughts. "A courier from the mailroom just arrived. He has a package for you."

Staring at the intercom in his desk, Tai's inebriated mind required a few seconds for him to realize that the voice belonged to his secretary. It required several more seconds for him to remember that she wasn't in on the secret that he wasn't the real Gendo Ikari, nor was the person from the mailroom. And it took even longer for him to realize that the real Gendo Ikari would not allow himself to look like a drunken mess in front of any of his people. And having reached these realizations, the cyber-clone grimaced and hurriedly straightened himself before hitting the button and told the secretary, "Send him in."

"Yes, sir," the woman on the other end replied. When he heard the clicking that signified that she had disconnected, Tai continued to straighten himself a bit more, knowing that he had a few seconds before the delivery person entered.

He had just finished smoothing out his rumpled uniform and straightening his hair when the massive doors to his office slowly creaked open. Which was all the warning Tai needed to assume the classic 'Gendo pose' before a nervous courier entered. "Uh, greetings, Commander Ikari. Sir," he announced, snapping off a shaky salute as he approached. "Package for you, sir."

"I can see that," Tai answered tersely in a perfect emulation of the man he had been cloned from. "Just set it on the desk and leave me."

"Uh, yes, sir. Of course, sir," the courier responded, quickly making his way up to the desk. Casting a nervous glance at the man behind it as he carefully placed a bulky tube on it, he then turned about and left the spacious office just short of a dead run.

As Tai watched the doors close, freeing him from the need of acting like Gendo, he sighed wearily and took another sip from his glass. He knew that he had been acting a lot more like the former Commander as of late, and while that was good for maintaining his cover, it was doing little to enhance public opinion of him.

_'I wonder...is this why he acted this way?'_ Tai thought as he set the glass back down, again looking at his creator's face in the picture. _'Was it just too painful for him to deal with people after losing Yui?'_

As he considered this possibility, Tai regarded the package that had been left for his attention. It was a featureless white shipping tube, the kind one might mail a photograph or a roll of mechanical designs inside of. With a heavy sigh, he set down his glass before leaning forward and grabbing the tube. Lifting it up off the desk, he discovered it to be heavier than he had expected, as well as rather cold. "What have we here?" he asked as he popped the end cap and tipped the tube towards the surface of his desk. After a brief delay, a frozen cold pack fell out, followed by something else.

Something he immediately recognized. And wished that he hadn't.

His eyes going wide in shock, Tai very nearly fell to the floor as he scrambled out of his seat, His heart pounding in his ears, his entire body trembling with horror as he studied the object before him. "No..." he moaned, his voice a broken, pitiful thing in his ears. "No...no, no...!"

Bringing his hands to his face, his nails digging into his forehead as he hid his eyes from the horror that had been brought to him that day. In that moment, Tai wanted to gouge out his eyeballs, regardless of the pain he knew it would cause him. Because nothing could possibly hurt more than seeing _that _again.

As he staggered backwards, his eyes covered, a small part of him in the back of his mind pleaded for the thing to go away. To simply disappear when he uncovered them. The rational, computerized portion of Tai's mind knew this wouldn't happen, but he didn't care. He wanted, more than anything, for it to not be true. To simply be some kind of waking nightmare, an illusion produced by his overworked mind.

But when he lowered his hands, a choked sob escaped his lips when he saw that it was still there. That this was no nightmare. This was really happening.

And when Tai realized this, he just wanted to lie down and die.

But he didn't. He just kept standing there, staring in horror at the object that lay on his desk, his mind working. The part of Tai that was a machine still functioning, rapidly calculating the appropriate action to take under these circumstances. Providing him with guidance that he sorely needed. And as his initial horror faded, the staggered cyber-clone somehow managed to make his way back to his desk.

Doing his best not to look at the object of horror on his desk, Tai numbly grabbed up his glass, so desperately in need for alcohol's soothing embrace that he couldn't think of doing anything first. Downing the contents in one gulp, he then tossed the empty glass into the wall. Knowing that he would be needing a lot more where that came from, he then grabbed up the telephone and hit one of the buttons that would directly connect to him another office.

The phone rang in Tai's ear once, twice, before the clicking sound indicated that someone had picked on the other end. Not even waiting for the person on the other end to speak, he forced himself to say, "Katsuragi, I need you in my office. Immediately."

_"Commander?"_ Misato spoke on the other end, clearly surprised and confused. _"What is it, sir?"_

"I've just received a package," Tai explained, glancing up at the object of horror that sat on his desk. "I need you here. And bring Sid and Dr. Akagi with you as well."

_"What?"_ Misato asked confusedly from the other end of the line. _"What do you need them for? What's this package you're talking about?"_

"It's...a section of the Iron Maiden armor. One of the gauntlets." A wad of bile formed in Tai's throat, forcing him to swallow as he looked up at the hideous object before him, and felt all his hopes die and rot away. "And there's an arm in it."

X

_"An arm?"_ Sid hysterically blurted out, her eyes wide with horror as she brought her hands to her mouth. "Y-y-you're saying that - somebody sent us Mana's _arm?"_

"Maybe," Misato conceded, speaking as carefully as she could to the AI girl. Wanting to do her best not to panic Sid when she was needed to be level-headed. "Tai just said that he got a piece of armor with and arm in it. We still don't know for sure if it's hers!"

"Or if the armor is even genuine," Ritsuko chimed in from off to the Major's side. The doctor was carrying a secure case which she had grabbed from her lab, one that would safely contain the objects Tai had reported. "And we _won't _know for sure until we can get them both in for testing. Okay?"

"But -!" Sid started, seeming more and more like an ordinary human girl as she looked frantically from one woman to the other. "I - I mean...an _arm?_ Someone actually -?"

"I know, I know! Somebody's playing games with us, Sid! Trying to shake us up!" Misato told her, holding up her hands as she spoke. "But like I said, we still don't know for sure if this is the genuine article. Okay?" Sid opened her mouth, looking as if she were about to protest, but was cut off when the purple-haired woman placed her hand on her shoulder, bending down to look the cyber-clone in the eyes. "Now, I know this must be a pretty big shock, but I need you to stay focused."

"She's right, Sid. We're gonna need your help with this," Ritsuko seconded. "You're the only one here who knows enough about this technology to be able to tell us for sure if this the genuine article, or just something someone cooked up to mess with us."

Again, Sid opened her mouth to say something. But this time, her tongue silently fell flat in her mouth, the cyber-clone seeming to deflate before Misato's eyes. Her shoulders slumping as her head fell forward, she seemed like she would topple forward before she slowly, wanly nodded. "You...you're right," Sid moaned despondently. "We...have to make sure."

Misato nodded, knowing precisely what she was asking of the AI girl. Artificial or not, she had demonstrated more feeling and compassion than some humans she knew, and had probably already suffered horribly when she had lost Dr. Kirishima, the closest thing she had to a father. The prospect of examining a damaged section of armor in order to confirm or deny if it was Mana's was like presenting a dead person's body to a friend or relative so that they could confirm its identity. _'And that's something I _know _she won't be handling well,'_ Misato thought, recalling her earlier conversation with Ritsuko. _'I'm just glad that she doesn't have to analyze the _other _item Tai has for us!'_

Shuddering to think of just how badly the two cyber-clones could react to this, the Major focused her thoughts on the current situation. "Anyway, we better get going," Misato announced, gently massaging Sid's shoulder. "We're not going to accomplish anything by just standing around here." Either unwilling or unable to meet her gaze, Sid continued to stand there, dumbly nodding in response. Disheartened by this but ultimately unsurprised, the Major came up alongside of the AI girl, carefully placing her hand on her back. "You ready?"

Again, Sid's only response was a tired nod. Pressing her lips together, Misato decided to be satisfied with this and glanced over at Ritsuko. The faux-blonde nodded before moving off to the side, allowing the others ample room to start forward. The cyber-clone required a moment to notice this, but when she did, she dragged up one foot and placed it firmly ahead of her, moving like a person like they were on their way to the gallows. Misato didn't do anything to force her to move faster, didn't say anything about how putting this off in any way wouldn't help her, or Mana. Instead, she matched Sid's pace, trying to convey as much comfort through her touch as she could.

Glancing up at Ritsuko, who also moved only as fast as the AI girl, Misato sighed as she looked ahead, wishing that she had a legitimate excuse to prompt Sid to go faster. Because the longer it took to get to Gendo's office, the more time she had to think about this foray into what was the ugliest form of warfare there was. The psychological kind.

_'At least the Angels never played games like this,'_ Misato thought irritably, wanting to do nothing more than to find the bastard responsible for sending them this package, whether it was real or some kind of forgery, and string him up by his own intestines. _'They just did whatever they could to get inside of the Geofront, and were all about as subtle as a hurricane about to hit. No games, no whatever. It was all about fighting them off in one way or another.'_

But the enemies they were now fighting were far more cunning, as well as more insidious. Enemies that sought out any strategic advantage over them, and would exploit any possible weakness in their defenses. Made even worse because they were dealing with the man who knew the weaknesses in their hearts as well as anyone could.

_'Because he's spent over a decade _causing _those weaknesses,'_ Misato vehemently thought, the image of Gendo's cruel scowl appearing in her mind as she thought about the files she had looked through, the horror stories told her by Ritsuko and Fuyutsuki. _'Second Impact, manipulating the Children, using Ritsuko and her mother...using all of us...!'_

Feeling her blood coming to a slow boil, Misato winced and quickly snapped herself back the moment. The last thing she needed was to be getting herself worked up with rage when she was about to be seeing the genetic duplicate of the target of that rage. She needed to be in control of her emotions, just as Sid and Ritsuko and the rest of them needed to be.

_'Easier said than done,'_ Misato found herself thinking, knowing full well how poorly she had been coping with her own pain, both that spawned by Second Impact and those that resulted of more recent horrors. _'Dammit, I should've seen this coming. I should've known Gendo might pull a stunt like this...!'_

Cursing herself for her own shortsightedness, Misato proceeded to engage herself in thinking of the things she could have done differently. Thought of the warning signs that she had seen in Gendo's behavior that she should have realized hinted at darker things. the cruel way he treated Shinji and the others. Recalled the Jet Alone disaster and Gendo's efforts to keep Rei isolated and alone.

It was an exercise that made her blood burn with disgust with Gendo, but even moreso at herself, causing her insides to twist with guilt. And it also gave her something to do during the long walk to Tai's office. "Hello, Major," the secretary called out upon noticing their arrival. Giving the unlikely trio a perplexed look, she asked, "Is the Commander expecting you?"

Starting at this, Misato quickly nodded and answered, "Yes, he is. So send us in."

"I'll have to clear that with the Commander first," the secretary replied in a somewhat condescending fashion. Giving Misato a look that said that she should know better, she pressed a button on her desk before saying, "Commander, Major Katsuragi is here. She says that you were expecting her."

"Yes, I am," Tai answered in a terse, cold manner, once that made Misato's skin crawl at how much he sounded like Gendo. "Are Dr. Akagi and Sid with her?"

Glancing at the trio, the secretary nodded and answered, "Yes, they are, sir."

"Then send them in," Tai muttered lowly.

"Yes, sir," the secretary replied before removing her finger from the button. With the connection broken, she shook her head slowly. "I just don't understand him." When Misato made a puzzled sound in her throat, the secretary tilted her head in the direction of the office. "The Commander...he seemed so...cheerful for a while...but lately, he..."

"Yeah, well..." Misato commented, giving her a knowing look. "Who can understand men?"

"Hmph. Not me, that's for certain," the secretary answered before hitting another button, this one causing the doors of Gendo's Lair to part for them.

As Ritsuko started forward, every inch the cool, collected scientist, Misato glanced down at Sid, who had shifted closer to the Major. And was looking anything but cool or collected as she took hold of Misato's jacket, her eyes wide and rimmed with unspoken fear as she looked into the darkness of Gendo's office. The guilt weighing heavily in her stomach worsening at the thought of subjecting her to this, Misato asked, "You up for this?"

Nodding quickly and nervously, Sid answered, "Yeah. I...I'm okay, Misato." Pausing to look up at the purple-haired woman, she gulped and added, "Really, I...I am."

It was easy to see that Sid was far from okay. But at the same time, there was no escaping the fact that they still had a job to do. So with a heavy sigh, Misato nodded and answered, "Okay. Let's go." Easing the AI girl forward, the Major started into the office, one step at a time.

"It's about time you got here," Tai muttered, thoroughly in Gendo-mode as the doors closed behind the two of them. The cyber-clone was standing a good distance away from his desk, a sour look on his face and black bags beneath his eyes as he took a swig of what could only be brandy straight from the bottle. "I've been...waiting here all this time, with..."

"We know, Tai. We understand," Ritsuko replied as she bent down next to the desk, opening the case she had brought with her.

"How can you _possibly -?"_ Tai snarled, only to shudder, his features twisting with grief. "I...I'm sorry, Rits-chan. I - I just -!" Shaking his head miserably, his red-rimmed eyes eventually settled on the bottle. Without another word, he hefted it up and took a quick swig from it.

Groaning in disgust, Misato marched up to their apparent Commander. "I don't believe this!" she growled, yanking the bottle of his hand. When he opened his mouth to protest, she held out her free hand to him. "You're picking _now _to get yourself shitfaced? On the _base?_ When _this _is happening?"

A look of alarm crossing Tai's face, he stood there, wobbling somewhat as he looked at her. "I was already shitting my face...or whatever...when that..._thing _came," he muttered wanly, visibly shaking as he glanced over at the object that Ritsuko was intently studying. "And the last thing I want right now...is to be sober."

Bringing her hand to her forehead, Misato massaged the headache she was in the midst of developing before glancing over at her friend. Ritsuko glanced at the Major, sighing before turning towards her cyber-lover. "Tai...I know this isn't easy, but...we don't know for sure that..."

"That she's dead?" Tai concluded, his voice heavy with bitterness and grief. "I know she's gone, Rits-chan. I know...I know that..."

"No, we don't! And don't say it, Tai! Don't even _think _it!" Sid cried out, her eyes watering as she looked at her fellow cyber-clone. "We don't know for sure! And until we _do,_ don't even try to tell me that she's dead! Don't you _dare!"_

"But -!" Tai reported, sounding even more broken by the moment.

"She's right, Tai," Ritsuko told him, abandoning all pretense of studying the armored arm. Going up to him, she looked him squarely in the eye. "We won't know for sure until we can run a few tests. And even then..." Heaving a deep breath, the faux-blonde cocked her head to the side, a weak smile gracing her lips. "Please...don't lose hope."

"Hope?" Tai repeated, his words echoed by a broken chuckle. "How can I have hope after...?"

"Because I know what it's like to live _without _it," Ritsuko told him. "And I also know what's it like to deal with death. Believe me, I've seen more death over the years than you can imagine." Tai didn't say anything to this. He just stood there, looking much like a puppet being supported by a single fraying strand, his pain and grief rolling down his face. Sighing, the doctor placed one hand on his shoulder and cupped the other one to his cheek. "Listen...I have to work on this, but later on, I promise, I'll have plenty of time to talk about this. Okay?"

Tai looked as if he were going to say something to this, but Ritsuko just looked at, given him a compassionate look with just enough firmness to it to make it clear that now was not the time for his pessimism. "Besides, we can't afford to go to pieces over this," Misato chimed in, deciding to give the Tactical AI some clear, cold logic to process. "Because whether or not this...thing is real? I guarantee you that whoever sent it did so because they wanted to mess with us. To screw with our heads and make us make a mistake or fall apart. To give them an opening they can use against us. And that's the last thing we want to do."

Sucking in a breath, Tai frowned, lowering his gaze somewhat before looking back at his desk. "Just get that thing out of my sight," he moaned, fresh tears running down his face as he turned away from it. "Please, just get it away..."

"Okay," Ritsuko nodded before glancing at Misato and shrugging. Taking this to mean that this was the best they were going to be able to do in soothing Tai's fears at the moment, the Major nodded and stepped back as the doctor made her back over to the desk.

While Ritsuko bent down over the case and picked up a set of gloves she had brought with her, Misato turned and looked towards Tai's desk, her eyes immediately focusing on the onerous object that had reduced the Tactical AI to the emotional wreck he was. _'And to be honest, I can't say I blame him,'_ the Major thought as she studied the macabre object. The gauntlet was mangled and scorched, bearing all the telltale marks that Misato had come to recognize as being the result of a powerful explosion, but beneath the smudges and smears she could see the familiar shades of maroon and gold trim. _'Ritsuko was right. Tai might be an AI, but he doesn't have the kind of life experience we have. He's never had to deal with losing someone he loves, or these kind of mind games, or...'_

Her earlier foreboding returned tenfold, Misato looked towards Sid, who was standing before the desk. Trembling ever so slightly as she studied the gauntleted arm, her breathing coming low and heavy. "Sid?" the Major began, speaking as softly as she knew how as she came up to her side. "Are you okay?"

"I wish I could say...that I was," Sid replied, not bothering to meet Misato's gaze. Instead she just kept standing there, staring in mute horror at the object before her.

Slipping her gloves on, Ritsuko slowly approached the desk. "So what do you think, Sid?" the doctor asked, glancing at the AI girl. "Could the armor be genuine?"

Glancing nervously at the doctor, Sid gulped before replied, "I...I don't know." Shrugging helplessly, she limply gestured at the object in question before answering, "The, uh...general configuration looks...accurate. Save for the damage, of course. But...I won't really know anything until I can perform an...in-depth systems analysis."

Nodding, Ritsuko gingerly picked up the gauntleted arm. "I'll have the gauntlet set to you once I'm done checking it out. See if we can get any fingerprints or DNA samples off of it," she stated as she swung about, moving carefully to avoid giving Sid a good look at the scorched arm inside the metal shell. "I'll also talk to Maya, have her put together a team to help you with it."

"No, that's...okay," Sid responded hesitantly, the break in her words occurring as she watched Ritsuko place the gauntlet in the case. The AI girl look down at it, shuddering almost imperceptibly as she looked at the grim indicator that another precious person was gone from her life. "I...can handle it."

"I never said that you couldn't," Ritsuko answered as she stood back up and collected the cold pack that had been in the shipping tube. "But I think it would go better if you had some help."

Letting out a hushed breath, Sid just stood there, shrugging as Ritsuko placed the cold pack in the case. "Well...I guess then...well, okay."

"Good. Because we need to find out more than whether or not this thing is real," Misato noted, watching as Ritsuko retrieved the tube itself and packed it up. "We need to find out where this thing came from...and who sent it."

"Right," Ritsuko nodded as she shut the case and picked it up. "C'mon, Sid. Let's go. You need to get your lab ready, and me..."

"Yeah," Sid replied, her voice empty and exhausted as she glanced at the case. Nothing further was said as Ritsuko gently urged the AI girl forward, moving as despondently as she had when they had come to the office.

Once the two of them had left, with Misato looking after them, Tai gave her a dangerous look and asked, "Aren't you going with them, Major Katsuragi?"

Turning to face the Tactical AI, Misato found herself confronted with a glare so cold that she almost forgot for a moment that this wasn't Gendo himself that she was dealing. "Not just yet, sir," she replied, doing her best to remain level-headed. "The fact of the matter is, I think there're a couple of things that we need to discuss."

"And what would those be?" Tai asked in a flat, almost emotionless voice. With only the tremor of pain to it and the way he was looking at the brandy bottle she had taken from him the only external evidence that he wasn't Gendo.

"First of all, I'd like to recommend that we have a forensic detail examine the office. To be specific, your desk, sir," Misato told him in a firm tone. "If there was something else in that shipping tube - hairs, fibers, something that might indicate where it came from - there's a chance it might have fallen out when you opened it. And if that's the case, then we should check your desk, see if we can find something."

A beat passed as Tai considered this. "Agreed," he eventually nodded, his voice holding a bit more life to it. "I'll contact Section 2, and have them send a team here at once."

"Very good," Misato nodded, glad that she met with no resistance. Then she frowned somewhat, knowing that the next subject she was about to broach wouldn't go over nearly as well. "There's something else I'd like to discuss, Tai. Something sensitive."

"More sensitive than what just happened?" Tai asked in flat, detached voice. Again reminding Misato of the man he had replaced.

"In a way, yes," Misato responded without missing a beat. "First of all, I know your upset about this. I know that. But I also want you to understand that you can't let it show like this." Holding up the brandy bottle, she shook her head at the obvious emotional wreck standing before her. "You can't just...let yourself fall apart or get drunk, especially here on base. Me, Ritsuko, the Children and the others...we know who you for who you really are, Tai. But as far as the rest of the world is concerned, you're Commander Gendo Ikari of NERV. And that means that you have to act exactly the way he would when no one else is around."

"Phbt. I know that, Misato," Tai snorted in response. "And you know something? As far as I'm concerned, Gendo can go to hell. The rest of the world can go to hell." Then he gave a low snort, as well as a twisted, miserable excuse for a smile. "For that matter, _you _can go to hell, too! After all, I wouldn't want you to feel left out!"

Sorely tempted to pop him one for that comment, as well as the way he kept looking at the bottle in her hand. "I'm serious, Tai. Things are bad enough for us right now as it is. We can't afford to have you making them even worse by blowing your cover," she intoned in a low, dangerous voice. "If SEELE learns that they're not in control of NERV anymore, I guarantee you that they will pull out all the stops to take this place back. And if that happens, a lot of good people are going to die."

Heaving a heavy sigh, Tai shook his head wearily. "I know all that, dammit!" he cried out, throwing up his hands in frustration. "What, you think I've forgotten that? That I decided to delete all of that from my memory, is that it?"

"No, it's not. But I am worried that you might forget to think about them because of everything that's happened," Misato explained him, trying to speak carefully. "As I said, whoever sent that arm is trying to screw us up. And from what I'm seeing, they're doing a pretty good job of it so far. And I'm just making sure that they don't get their way."

"I -!" Tai started, his face contorting with further grief and outrage. A face that remained frozen with these extremely combustible emotions for what seemed like an eternity before the outrage fled, and was replaced by guilt. Bringing his hands up to his face, the Tactical AI released a broken sob. "I...I know that, Misato! And believe me, I...I'm trying!" Shaking his head despondently, he let his hands fall to his sides as he seemed to age right in front of her. "But...it's so hard to...I never imagined that I could hurt so much! That it'd be so hard to -!"

"To keep on top of your emotions?" Misato replied, again finding her eyes drawn by the bottle of alcohol in her hand. Thinking of all the times she had crawled into similar bottles to drown the nightmares and horrors that were with her when she was awake, that hounded her relentlessly when she was asleep. "I know about, Tai. I know it better than you can possibly imagine." With that, she lowered the bottle, and focused on the person before her. A person that was different, was hurting and being something of a pain, but wasn't Gendo Ikari. "But that doesn't change the fact that all of us - not just you, but all of us - have a job to do. And whether Mana is alive or not, she would want us to do that job. To make sure that SEELE and whoever else is screwing with us doesn't get away with it."

"I realize that, Misato," Tai told her, sounding more and more broken by the moment. "And I want to, but..."

Nodding, Misato sighed as she considered the situation. "Look...maybe it'd be better if you just went home for the rest of the day. Take it easy, get some rest..." she carefully suggested. "It would give you a chance to have a few more rounds without worrying about who's watching."

Pressing his lips together, Tai visibly considered this suggestion before ultimately shaking his head. "No. I have to stay here," he answered in a somewhat firmer voice. "I have to be ready for when Rits-chan and Sid...give their report." Then he gave Misato an odd look of cunning and mischief. "Besides, are you the one that said that I have to act exactly like Gendo? Because based on the information I have on his daily habits, I know he didn't bother with days off unless he literally could not come in to NERV."

"Well, you've got me there," Misato quickly admitted. "Alright, fine. Just do me a favor. Until Rits and Sid figure this thing out, try and stay out of sight. The way you are, you couldn't fool a blind man into thinking you're Gendo, much less anyone else. Just let me and Fuyutsuki handle things around base."

"Fine by me. As far as I'm concerned, you're welcome to the job," Tai replied in a worn voice, adding to it with a roll of his eyes. "In fact, I think I'll take a little nap in the officer's lounge."

"Works for me," Misato decided with a thoughtful nod. "Just be sure to lock the door. I don't want anyone catching you snoozing on the job."

Giving a light snort to this, Tai shook his head and answered, "Believe me, Misato, all I want right now is to be left to myself."

The words in and of themselves were perfectly innocuous, and under the circumstances, it was quite understandable that Tai would feel that way. But as Misato looked into the Tactical AI's face, she could help but frown. Because there was something in the way he had spoken. Something that didn't remind her of Gendo, but of herself. Of the casual, almost dismissive way he had spoken. As if he were sugarcoating something else.

_'His pain...and his hatred for whoever attacked Mana,'_ Misato realized, a slight frown curling her lips.

For a moment, Misato considered this before ultimately shrugging and saying, "Anyway, let's get going. And be sure to keep me between you and your secretary. I know she's not the brightest bulb in the bunch, but she's bound to notice how red your eyes are and all that."

"Right," Tai replied as the two of them started forward. With Misato still thinking worried thoughts.

_'I can't blame him for being upset, being angry. Especially not after all of this.'_ But then Misato thought of the horrors that lived in her past, and they way had driven her for more than a decade. _'I just hope he doesn't let his own hatred do the same to him.'_

X

"Ah...thank you, Major," Tai sighed wearily as he sat back in one of the officer's lounges of NERV. The sofa he was now resting on was extremely soft and supportive, the perfect thing for a person to take a nap on. "It was very nice of you to...blaze a trail for me, as it were."

"Not a problem...Commander," Misato replied with a kindly smile. "Now, I'm going to hang up a sign saying that this room is closed for maintenance, so you shouldn't have any unwanted guests. So just relax, take it easy for a while, and when Rits and Sid are finished with their analysis, I'll be sure to call you."

"I understand, Major," Tai nodded, speaking as pleasantly as he could. "Anyway, um...if it's all the same to you, I'd like to...get some rest now."

Nodding, Misato replied, "That's fine. I have a few things to take care of. Like getting Section 2 off their dead asses and to work on sweeping your office." Tai gave a wry curl of his lip to this, and the purple-haired woman shrugged and replied, "So...anyway, you try and rest up. Okay?"

"Okay," Tai nodded as he lay back. His eyes closing into slits as Misato gave him a smile before turning and making her way out the door. Waiting and listening for the distinct sound of the lock clicking shut. When that sound was heard, the cyber clone simply lay there and waited, monitoring his internal chronometer, just in case the Major decided to suddenly double back to check on him for some inexplicable reason.

When precisely five minutes had passed, Tai opened his eyes and sat up. _'I'm sorry, Major Katsuragi. I know that you're worried, and to be honest, I can't say I blame you,'_ he thought as he made his way over to the television that sat in the corner of the lounge. As he studied the simple electronic device, he quickly reviewed the points Misato had made to him earlier. All of them quite valid concerns, both in regards to the safety of NERV and the general populace of Tokyo-3.

But the fact of the matter was, at that moment, Tai honestly didn't give a damn about these things. All he knew was that he had already run a series of simulations based on their current data, both on the detonation of the Iron Maiden armor's arc reactor and the object that he had already analyzed. Based on the design alone, as well as the damage patterns, there was 99.6% probability that the armor fragment was genuine. And if that was genuine, then the odds of the arm that had been inside were equally high. And these facts, coupled with Mana's last transmission, meant that there was a 95.2% chance that she was dead, and if she wasn't, then there was a 4.6% chance that she had been captured by the very people that had shot her down. In which case, she was a prisoner, if not of Gendo's, then some other adversary. Most likely a member of SEELE, who would even now be torturing her for any information on her armor.

_'Whether Mana's dead or captured, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that the time for subtlety is over,'_ Tai thought as he tuned the transmitter in his cybernetic brain to the exact electrical frequency of the TV, using it to interface with NERV's computer network. _'And if I can't send an Eva to deal with whomever's responsible...then I'll have to use someone else.'_

With that thought, Tai carefully, surreptitiously linked to the MAGI, using Gendo's pass codes to quickly and easily bypass all firewalls, as well as cover up any trace of his access. Slowly making his way to NERV's communications systems, and more importantly, the NERV priority channel. _'Now, where are you, Touji?'_ he wondered as he accessed the NERV satellites, knowing full well that he had to make his next transmission as tightly beamed as possible. It was the only way of making certain that no one learned of what he was doing before it was too late to be stopped.

Working with the assistance of the MAGI, Tai quickly scanned the Pacific Ocean. Assuming that War Machine had followed the exact course mapped out for him by Sid, and assuming that he was flying at the maximum safe speed allowed him by the combination of IRVING and his armor, then the area in which he could be in was fairly small.

Fortunately, Tai's calculations proved to be accurate. In less than ten seconds, he locked onto the narrow-band ID signal of the War Machine armor. _'There you are!'_ the cyber clone thought, a sadistic grin marking his face. A grin that softened with sadness when a familiar face appeared in his mind. _'Mana, I promise you...' _he thought, fresh tears of remorse moving down his cheeks, _'if we can't save you, then you can be damn sure that we'll avenge you.'_

X

_'Sid, I gotta hand it to you,'_ Touji thought with a faint smile as he flew along the path laid out for him, barely noticing the Pacific Ocean as he watched one of the classic 'Star Trek' movies on his HUD. _'Not only do I not have to worry about piloting on the way to America, but I even get a sweet selection of in-flight movies for the trip!'_

Watching the action playing out before him, Touji sighed, truly grateful for the distraction. For while he had to admit that the ocean below and some of the islands he had passed were beautiful, there was only so much a person could watch those things before monotony set in. And such tedium gave him too much time to think of things he didn't want to think of. Of whether or not he would see his family again. Of the horrors Shinji had told him about him about when he had come to visit him. Of how long it would take to find Mana, if she were even...

Wincing as his mind once again tried to drift to places he didn't want it to, Touji gave a quick shake of his head. _'C'mon, how many times do you have to tell yourself not to go there?'_ he shouted at himself, wishing he could control his own emotions as easily as he could his armor. _'Just sit back and enjoy the movie, okay? You can worry about the rest of it when you get where you're going!'_

Focusing his attention on the movie, Touji slowly lost himself once more in the sounds of unmitigated violence and the sight of evil aliens being zorched. Until it froze in mid-scene. "What the -?" Touji jumped, wondering what had gone wrong even as the display on his HUD changed, a new window appearing with the NERV logo on it.

**Incoming Transmission Detected: NERV Priority Channel**

"The priority channel?" Touji started, his eyes going wide at the words emboldened on his HUD. His annoyance forgotten, he gave the command to accept the signal. The instant he did, the NERV logo was replaced by the face of Gendo. "What the -?"

_"Hello, Touji,"_ the person on his screen spoke in a tired, heavy voice. His bloodshot eyes barely looking at the screen as he spoke.

A beat passed as Touji realized that this wasn't the monster that was behind Second Impact and had systematically ruined the lives of so many people. "Oh...sorry, Tai," he gasped out, feeling a bit embarrassed for not immediately realizing it was Sid's fellow cyber clone. "Guess I'm a little -"

_"There's no time for small talk, Touji,"_ Tai broke in, his words taking on a sharper edge. Then he lowered his some more before adding, _"I'm afraid I have some...bad news."_

"What?" Touji started, his eyes going wide as icy cold claws of dread took hold of his heart. "What is it? Did something happen?"

_"We've found something, or rather, something has been sent to us,"_ Tai explained, his voice digging a deep, dark pit in Touji's stomach. _ 'We've received a package containing a portion of the Iron Maiden armor. And...I'm afraid that...it was still occupied.'_

"O-occup-?" Touji sputtered out, his voice failing him utterly as he absorbed the import of this revelation. "You mean - she was still -?"

_"I'm afraid so,"_ Tai confirmed, his features paling with this confession. _"It was her...her right arm."_ His face going slack, Touji could only watch as the Tactical AI teared up, clearly not for the first time. _"Given this development...even under the best of circumstances, there's only a 4.6% probability that she survived the initial detonation. And even then, she would almost certainly have been captured by her attackers."_

"Then...then she's..." Touji hissed out, his own eyes watering as he shook his head in frustration. The pain and hatred and self-loathing he now felt building up more and more before finding its voice in a single, deafening cry of utter, absolute anguish.

He was too late. Mana was already dead. The girl that had landed in his life and had become an ever-increasingly important part of it had been taken away from him. She had died in pain, alone and far away from her home, from anyone she had loved, all for the armor she had worn. And now the people responsible for this, the man whose face Tai wore, was now mailing her home, one piece at a time. Just to hurt the people that survived her that much more.

_"Given this development, Touji, there's no further need for subtlety,"_ Tai went on, his voice trembling to the same tune of grief and shame that was flowing viciously through the boy wearing the mantle of War Machine. _"If Mana's attackers have the rest of her armor, then there's no telling how much they've been able to learn from it. You have to track them down immediately and destroy whatever is left of the armor, as well as what information they've been able to extract from it."_

Starting at these words, Touji focused on the Tactical AI on the HUD. The rage and loathing seething within him eager to find direction. "How? How do I find them?"

_"We know that she was attacked by the U.S. Air Force," _Tai explained, keeping his voice somewhat more level. _"And each base keeps a log of all flights, as well as has access to the computer logs of the others. Given all that, your best chance is to track down the nearest Air Force field and access their files. But you'll have to get to them quickly; otherwise, they'll be able to cut the server hardlines and destroy the data."_

"Understood," Touji muttered lowly.

_"I'm routing you all the information NERV has on the layout of Air Force bases within range of where Mana was attacked,"_ Tai continued dangerously. _"However, given the apparent security leak, we can't afford any unnecessary communication. Therefore, I expect you to observe a complete communications blackout for the next twenty-four hours. If you receive another communication on this or any other channel, disregard it. Is that clear?"_

"Perfectly," Touji growled, watching the datastream that indicated that a download was in progress.

_"Very well. I will contact you again after the blackout period is over. NERV out,"_ Tai announced before disappearing. Leaving Touji alone once more.

Alone...save for his rage. His hatred. And the armor that made him War Machine.

"Mana..." Touji breathed, tears of grief and vengeance rolling down his cheeks. "I'm promise you...I'll pay them back for this." Giving a command to his armor and IRVING, he felt the thrusters burning that much harder. "I'm going to kill them, Mana...kill them all...!"

**Warning: Limiters Disengaged; Risk of Personal Injury High.**

Touji saw these words scroll across his HUD...and ignored them. He didn't give a damn about his own life right then and there. All he wanted, all he needed at that moment...was revenge.


	20. Hero In Return, Part 2

Chapter 20.

Yeah, it happened.

* * *

"Colonel Ramirez?"

Frowning somewhat at the mentioning of his name, Colonel Ramirez sat up a bit straighter in his seat as he looked at the person who had addressed him. "What is it, Lieutenant?"

"We have a bogey inbound, sir," the Lieutenant replied. Frowning at this revelation, Ramirez frowned that more when the Lieutenant added. "It's coming in from the Pacific ocean, approaching the coast at mach 5!"

Despite his many years of training and experience, the Colonel's mouth popped slightly open at this. "Are you sure about that?" The Lieutenant promptly nodded. "Where's it headed?"

"Assuming it maintains its present course, sir...right towards us," the Lieutenant reported.

At this bit of news, Ramirez narrowed his eyes in consideration. "Any idea what we're dealing with here?"

"Negative, sir. Radar profile doesn't match anything we have on file," the Lieutenant reported. "But whatever it is, it's small. Too small to be any kind of jet we've seen."

Again, Ramirez was dismayed, but not particularly surprised. Mainly because this wasn't the first unidentified craft to intrude into United States airspace in recent times. "Alright, then," he muttered beneath his breath as he looked about the control room of the Evans Air Force base. Surveyed the people working there under his command. "How long until this thing crosses into US airspace?"

"Ten minutes, sir!" the Lieutenant reported. "And fifteen before it gets here!"

"Alright, then. I want eyes on target. Scramble the Reapers," Ramirez ordered, realizing just how little time he had. "And mobilize all flight crews! If this thing turns out to be hostile, I want to be ready for it."

"Yes, sir! Preparing the Reapers for intercept!" another one of his personnel reported.

Satisfied that they would soon be ready for the worst, Ramirez starting working to keep things from coming to that. "Now, then, open a broadband channel. Let's try and talk to our bogey...and get it to rethink whatever it's got on its mind."

"Understood, sir," replied the Ensign at the communications station. "Channel open."

Pausing to take a deep breath, Ramirez proceeded to announce, "Attention, unidentified aircraft. This is Colonel Ramirez of the United States Air Force. You are in violation of US airspace. Decrease speed and reverse course, otherwise we will have no choice but to interpret your presence as hostile."

A few seconds passed before a response was heard. Two words that were spoken with such cold fury that Ramirez was more surprised by it than the words spoken.

"Up yours."

The Colonel's people quickly glanced about at each other, clearly wondering if they had heard that correctly. They did this for a couple seconds, which was all the time they had before the Lieutenant at the radar squawked in surprise. "Sir! The target, it -!"

When the Lieutenant's voice trailed off, the Colonel shot him a toxic glare. "What is it, Lieutenant?"

"The target! It's...split in two!" the Lieutenant reported, his voice rife with disbelief of his own report.

"What did you just say?" Ramirez demanded.

"We've got two contacts now!" the Lieutenant confirmed, sounding as perplexed as before. "One's slowing down, but the other one is maintaining speed!"

His concerns mounting at this development, Ramirez demanded, "Time to intercept?"

"If the bogey maintains present course and speed, five minutes to intercept!" someone answered.

"How long until we can launch a manned intercept?" Ramirez asked.

"Ten minutes, sir!" an Ensign reported.

Which meant that the bogey would be within US air space before they could launch, and would likely be that much closer to the base before it could be intercepted. Far from ideal, but Ramirez had been handed worse situations over the course of his career. _'Besides, with all the cutbacks we've had to the budget, I should be thrilled we're mobilizing this quickly,'_ he added with a hint of distaste. _'Damn NERV and their connections...'_

Wishing not for the first time that he could deliver a nuke squarely in the laps of the morons who made such incompetent decisions, Ramirez was forced to watch and wait. Making his way over to the radar station, he studied the display that showed the paths representing the progress of the two Reapers that they had launched, along with the radar signatures that symbolized both the incoming intruder and the object that had split off from it. _'They're right. Whatever it is that's coming this way, it's small. About the size of an UAV,'_ the Colonel mused. _'But what could it be? What is...?'_

"Sir! The Reapers are coming into visual range of the bogey!" sounded one of Ramirez's men, immediately snapping him back to the moment. "I've got a visual on - what the hell?!"

Immediately focusing on the man who had spoken, Ramirez's eyes immediately locked on the display screen before him. A moment later, he understood the shock and confusion in the soldier's voice, because the object that was growing steadily larger on the screen made no sense to him. It wasn't a missile, or an UAV, or anything else his experience had trained him for.

The first thing he noticed was the primary colors of grey and gunmetal grey. Then Ramirez took in the armored contours of the bogey, like that of a tank. As these things sank, his mind processed the general shape of the inbound intruder. Two arms splayed out to the sides, with what looked plumes of fire erupting from the palms of its hands. Legs straight with similar plumes sprouting from the heels. And a head with a simple metallic face, with blue eyes glaring from the cold metal.

_'It's...a man! A robot man or -!'_ Ramirez let a tiny gasp at this, for this thought triggered a memory. A memory of before he had even joined the military, of an infamous figure very similar to the one he was looking at.

"An...iron man...oh, _shit!"_ Ramirez abruptly spat out as his faded memories crystallized. "Emergency scramble on all fighters! And get me General O'Neil on the -!"

The figure on the screen shifted its icy blue mechanical eyes. Just enough so that it looked like it was looking Ramirez right in the face. For a moment, the Colonel froze, just long enough for the armored figure to raise his hands up, energy blasting forth from its palms.

An instant later, the feeds from the two Reapers were replaced with static. And Ramirez's heart sank in realization.

He was aware of the recent battle that had taken place between the Air Force and another such armored figure. Though his people hadn't participated, and though the entire battle had quickly been declared classified and covered up, Ramirez still heard things, and had learned some of the details regarding the mystery intruder. But more than that, he remembered a man from before Second Impact who had worn armor not unlike the one he saw. And more importantly, he knew exactly what that armor was capable of.

"Get everything we have up in the air _right now!"_ Ramirez ordered. When the people responsible for making this happen turned to protest, he cut them off before they could utter a single syllable. "I don't care what it takes, we need to intercept this thing _immediately!_ Get Gabriel Airfield on the horn! We're gonna need some support!"

After a moment of being rendered dumbstruck, the people before him went into motion, working to make Ramirez's orders happen. "This is Harper Air Force Base to Gabriel Base! Please come in!" an Ensign began in a mildly confused but no less professional manner. "Repeat, this is Harper Air For- _gahh!"_

It happened too fast for Ramirez to process all at once. First, a blur of motion was seen in a nearby window, right in the middle of his airfield. It was followed by a blinding flash and a thunderous boom that sent the people working out there scrambling for cover. His eyes and ears overwhelmed by the blast, Ramirez didn't realize exactly what had happened. It was only when his senses recovered from being utterly overwhelmed did he look about, and realize that every monitor within view had been scrambled, and the crackle of static filled the air.

"Status!" Ramirez demanded, determined to regain control of the situation. When his demand was met with silence, he tried in an even harsher voice, "What happened!"

"Something's scrambling our systems, sir!" one of his people frantically reported. "Radar, computers..._everything's _effected, sir!"

"What about communications?" Ramirez demanded.

"Totally down, sir!" another Ensign reported. We've lost satellite _and_ landlines!"

Which meant that they were on their own. Unless Gabriel Air Force Base had received that bit of their call they had managed to get out before everything had gone down, Ramirez and his people could expect no backup. They would have to deal with whatever was coming their way without any hope of assistance. "How much longer until we can launch an intercept?!"

"I - don't know, sir!" an Ensign informed him. "If the planes have been affected as well, then we might not be able to launch at all!"

"Any sign of the bogey?!" Ramirez asked, determined to keep moving, to not give himself a chance to freeze up. To keep his mind working.

"Negative, sir! Radar's gone! I've got _nothing, _sir!" the radar operator reported worriedly. "No sign of the - !"

_"Incoming!"_ cried out another voice. Ramirez didn't even have time to look towards the speaker or ask what was happening before the sound of smashing glass was heard, followed by cries of pain and fear from his people.

Instinctively whipping about, Ramirez felt his eyes bulge with shock when he realized what had happened. The armored bogey he had seen moments ago via the Reapers' feed was now standing in his control room, having flown in right through the window. Surrounded by shattered glass and stunned soldiers, it swung its icy cold electronic gaze about the control room before starting forward.

"You!" cried out of the soldiers there, already whipping out his sidearm at the intruder. "Freeze! Hands in the - _aarrgh!"_

Whipping up his hands in a blur of speed, the intruder held out his palms at the soldier, and released twin blasts of deadly blue at him. The force of the blasts sent the brave soldier tumbling backwards to smash against the far wall. Even as he fell to the floor, the intruder whipped about, loosed another set of blasts, drilling two more soldiers square in the chest even as it marched forward. Acting on well-honed instinct in the face of this threat, Ramirez's people all drew forth their pistols, and opened fire.

The intruder didn't even seem to notice. Every round bounced off its armor with a distinct ping, several ricocheting into the walls and the equipment. He simply responded with more blasts of power as he marched forward. Realizing the ineffectiveness of their assault, a Lieutenant discarded his sidearm and launched himself at the armored figure.

The intruder, so intent on blasting his foes, didn't even notice the assault until the Lieutenant had his arms wrapped about his neck. As he did so, Ramirez was able to get a good sense of the scale of their foe, and to his surprise, realized that he was smaller than a fullgrown man. More like the size of a young boy just reaching his teens.

But size didn't take away from the intruder's strength. Upon realizing that he had someone clinging to him, it moved quickly and with horrifying brutality. Grabbing its assailant by the wrists, it ignored the cries of pain it elicited from the Lieutenant as it forcefully whipped him off its back and flung him to the floor. Pause to glare him in the face, the intruder than grabbed him by the waist, lifted him up over its head, and flung him at another group of soldiers, sending them falling to the floor in a heap.

While this was happening, Ramirez was setting aside his own sidearm. Small arms fire wasn't going to do anything to this foe, and it was equally obvious that physically assailing it would end in disaster. There was nothing that he himself could do to stop this thing, but there was still a chance. _'I have to get out of here, get some backup!'_ the Colonel realized. _'If this thing has anything to do with Iron Man, then -!'_

The Colonel's train of thought was forcibly derailed when he felt something hard and powerful grab his shoulder. A guttural cry of protest tearing free of his lips, he was helpless to stop himself from being lifted up into the air, then slammed down on the floor. His head cracking and the air driven from his lungs, the world was sent spinning before his eyes as a harsh, metallic voice sounded. "Order everyone here to stand down!" As the world again came into focus, Ramirez sucked in a gasp when he found himself staring into the electric blue gaze of his attacker as it added, "Or I _make _them _go _down! _Permanently!"_

There was no doubt that the intruder meant what he said. And Ramirez had a sinking feeling that this metallic nightmare was fully capable of making good on his threat.

But despite all of this, he had sworn an oath to protect the United States of America. And even if it cost him and his men their lives, there was no way he could consciously pave a trail for this monstrosity, whoever or whatever it was.

"Go ahead and try," Ramirez told his enemy in a voice of pure defiance. "I'm betting that one of them will manage to either get word out or put your lights out before you even get halfway through here."

It's eyes seeming to narrow with contempt, the intruder drew back its fist. "That's a bet you're gonna lose."

Then the intruder's fist came smashing down upon Ramirez, plunging him into darkness.

x

As War Machine stood up straight and surveyed the man he had just pummeled, he scowled hatefully. His armor's sensors indicated that he was still alive, which was a relief and a disappointment all at once for the boy within the armor.

_'It's not him you're after, Toji,'_ War Machine reminded himself, trying to keep his rage in place. _'He's not the bastard who killed Mana. Just some idiot doing his job.'_ Heaving a deep, hateful breath, the armored warrior looked about the control room. _'And I still have to do my job.'_

With that in mind, he made his way over to one of the control consoles, using the information Tai had downloaded into his armor to guide him to the appropriate station. When he finally found it, he paused to study the screens for a moment, frowning at the way they flickered, the static that still showed on them.

_'Dammit...that Scrambler Missile made more of a hash of this place than I thought it would!'_ War Machine thought with a sense of disgust. But even as he thought this, he scowled, for the fact was that using the Scrambler had been his only real option. It had kept the base blind to his actions when he had accelerated and hit the control room, and it would keep them from contacting the outside for a while longer. _'I just have to hope that it didn't wreck the data here!'_

With this in mind, the armored teen held out his right arm, and with a mental command, deployed a USB interface and plugged into the computer. "Computer; locate all information pertaining to missions and flights from this and every Air Force base within a 1000 kilometer radius of this base," War Machine ordered. "Have all pertinent data wirelessly transmitted to IRVING for processing."

To his considerable relief, his armor's computer had no difficulty in interfacing with the potentially scrambled computer. And was soon rewarded when a window appeared.

**Requested Data Located. Estimated Time for Download; Ten Minutes, Fifty-Three Seconds.**

"Fine. Just get it done," War Machine instructed it before unplugging and looking out a nearby window. Watching as the flight crews outside scrambled out, trying to launch the jets.

The Scrambler Missile War Machine had launched was powerful, enough to cut this base off from the outside for the time being, but that wouldn't last. And sooner or later, the people outside would be able to launch. Meaning that he had to deal with them before they could contact someone on the outside, and have additional forces sent after him.

_'And I don't have time to waste on that sort of crap,'_ War Machine declared inwardly as he started towards the window. _'So I'm just gonna have to shut everybody on this base up.'_

Looking down at the airfield below, he glowered at the many military personnel before him. And while there was a good chance that none of them had anything to do with the attack that had claimed Mana's life, they were still between him and the one's responsible.

"Do yourselves a favor!" he shouted, his armor's systems immediately converting his words to English. "Fall down and stay down quick! Before I show you why they call me War Machine!" Without another word, he launched himself from the window, ready and willing to express some of the rage that was burning inside of him.

x

As Shinji entered one of the many research labs within NERV, he found himself greeted by the sight of a girl apparently his own age with long, turquoise hair done up in pigtails. She was presently adorned in familiar suit of armor, the hard metal shell a striking contrast to the tear-streaked face the girl wore as she fussed at a computer console, looking from the nearby holographic displays to the badly damaged gauntlet that rested before her.

A lump of bile forming in his throat at the sight of the girl, Shinji was forced to swallow. A noise that failed to attract the girl's attention, but did startle one of the other people there. "Oh! Hello, Shinji!"

A noise of surprise escaping his lips, Shinji looked about, only to settle down when he saw who it was. "Oh...hello, Maya."

"What are you doing here?" Maya wondered as she approached Shinji. Taking note of his plug suit, she asked, "Synch test?"

Nodding, Shinji answered, "We just got done." Then he glanced over at Sid, and added, "Anyway, I...Misato told me about...well..."

As Shinji trailed off helplessly, Maya's expression became somber. "I see."

Feeling the pain those two words carried with them, Shinji looked over at the girl he had come to see. "Sid, I...I'm so sorry that -"

"She's not dead," Sid abruptly broke in. Starting at these words, Shinji froze in place when the AI girl turned her bloodshot eyes towards him. "She's not dead, so don't you dare say that!"

Recoiling at the sheer anger and misery in Sid's words, Shinji instantly recoiled, waving his hands defensively. "I - I never said that she's -!"

"I don't care what you or anybody says! Mana is _not _dead!" Sid shrilled before returning her focus to her work. "I don't care if that arm's DNA matches hers! So what?!" Shooting Maya a poisonous look, she added, "I'm a clone, right?! _My _DNA matches hers, right?! That doesn't mean that that arm was hers!"

"I - we know that, Sid," Maya replied helplessly.

"And I don't care if this armor matches hers, or if her arc reactor exploded! She is _not _dead!" Sid very nearly shrieked. "Mana's _not _dead! Do you hear me?! She's _not dead!"_

Recoiling a step more, Shinji found himself plagued with fresh doubt. When Misato had informed him of the cruel delivery that had been made to Tai's office and the way he and Sid had reacted, he had felt nothing but sympathy for the two AIs made flesh and blood. But even as the desire to console them was felt, his own negativity made itself known, making him question what he could possibly do to help ease their pain.

Even as that negative aspect rose to the fore, Shinji had frowned, and recalled the files he had seen regarding his father's despicable plans for him and the rest of the world. Gendo's files on how he had spent ten years observing him from a distance, doing everything in his power to make his life as miserable as possible, all in a calculated effort to make him doubt himself on every level, to make him dependant on Eva and ultimately suicidal. It had been that memory that had left him wanting to defy Gendo's efforts on multiple levels, and try and offer some assistance. And since Tai had made it clear to Misato that he wanted to be left alone, that left Sid as the only one he could try and comfort.

As Shinji struggled with the notion that that had not been such a bright idea, Maya shot the AI girl a look. "Sid, please." Then she looked at Shinji and explained, "I'm sorry, Shinji. But...well..."

"I know. I understand." Glancing one more time at Sid, he then asked, "Wh-what have you found?"

Pausing to glance over at Sid, Maya sighed and explained, "Well, as you might have guessed, the arm was a perfect genetic match for Mana's. Sempai's already confirmed that." Then she looked again at the turquoise-haired girl and added, "As for the armor...it looks like a match, so..."

_"She's NOT dead!"_ Sid shrieked, fresh tears springing from her eyes.

"W-we're not saying that, Sid!" Shinji babbled out helplessly.

"But that's what you're _thinking_, isn't it?!" Sid cried out, fixing Shinji with her bloodshot eyes. "Well, I don't care what you think! She's n-not dead, and th-that's..."

Shinji had nothing to say to this. Nor did he have anything to say about how Sid then hung her head above her console before letting it crash down, breaking down into open sobbing. All he could do is stand there for a long time, watching her before finally getting out, "I...I'm sorry, I..."

After several seconds of choked sobbing, Sid somehow managed to drag her head back up and nod. "So am I." Her eyes evermore bloodshot, the AI girl sniffled loudly and said, "Shinji, I..."

"I...it's okay. I...understand," Shinji replied, recalling his own troubled past. "I...know what it feels like. To...to lose someone, and..."

For a moment, Shinji was certain he had said precisely the wrong thing. But as Sid looked at him, she managed a crooked smile. "Yeah...you're right. You do." Looking as if she were kicking herself, the turquoise-haired girl sniffed and replied, "I mean...well, I...I heard about what Gendo..."

"Yeah," Shinji replied, not wanting to think about the things she had likely heard about. Not wanting to be reminded of all the horrors his father had concocted, as well as the possibilities regarding the fate of his mother. "Well...anyway, you're right, you know?" When Sid gave him a querulous look, he shrugged helplessly and explained, "Even if the arm and armor...are real...that doesn't mean that she's dead, you know?"

What anger still lingered in Sid's eyes quickly faded, and in its wake was left even more pain. "I - I know...and I'm really sorry to have...acted this way...but..." Shaking her head slowly, the AI girl then looked at Shinji, giving him a good look at how much she was hurting. "Shinji, I...I never imagined it would hurt _this much!"_ Looking on uncertainly, the Third Child watched as Sid went on to say, "When...Mana's mother...Dr. Kirishima's wife was...killed...I didn't feel anything. I was a much simpler AI back then; I didn't have anything even...approaching emotions. And even when her father was killed...I felt _something..._a kind of sadness...but _this...!"_ Fresh tears rolling down her cheeks, the turquoise-haired girl shook her head miserably. "I never - never imagined that I could feel anything like this, Shinji!"

As Shinji continued to study the girl, he sighed miserably as he thought back to his own experiences with such grief. The day he had lost his mother, and subsequently his father. He thought of the friends he had made and subsequently lost until he stopped trying to even make friends, certain in the knowledge that he would lose them to. And he thought of the recent horrific revelations about his father's schemes and the people who wanted to see their own vision of Ragnarok come to pass. And as he did, he wished that he could tell Sid that she would one day stop feeling such pain.

But he couldn't. So all Shinji could do was say, "Sid...I know it hurts, but...I really do agree with you. Mana isn't dead."

Still sniffling and blinking away her tears, Sid looked up at Shinji. "Y-you really th-think so?"

"Sure," Shinji lied. Forcing a brave smile onto his face, he then added, "I mean...Father could...he could send us her _head_, and I still wouldn't...believe..."

As realized what he had just said, Shinji found himself kicking himself inwardly even as he trailed off. He didn't even need Maya grimacing and putting her hand to her head to tell him just how badly he had screwed up. But even as he wondered if he would notice if his own head had been removed from his body, Sid said, "Why didn't he?"

"Huh?" Shinji started, interrupted before he could himself another mental kick in the butt. "Wh-why didn't he what?"

"Why didn't Gendo send us her head?" Sid asked in an oddly quiet voice. "If Mana was dead, why didn't he send us her head or her heart or something else?" Looking from Shinji to Maya and back again, she demanded with greater energy, "If Gendo wanted to antagonize us, why just send us an arm? Why not something that would prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Mana was dead?!"

Shinji had no answer to this, and it was pretty obvious that Maya was equally clueless. So all the Third Child could do was shrug helplessly before saying, "Maybe...the arm was...the only part of her...he...had?"

Again, Shinji was ready to kick himself. But before he could renew this mental assault, he was stunned and astonished when Sid broke out in the biggest, most joyous grin he had ever seen. "That's right! Gendo didn't send us Mana's head because _he didn't have it!"_ Her grin widening, the AI girl did a quick skipping dance towards Shinji and cried out, "Oh, thank you, Shinji! Thank you, thank you, _thank you!"_

Shinji had no idea what to say to this. And became even more confused when Sid wrapped her arms about him, giving him a fierce bear hug, followed by a kiss on the cheek, before releasing him and looking over at Maya. "Call Misato, Ritsuko, Tai, _everybody!_ Tell them to meet at Gendo's office! I've got something really important to tell them!" Then she shot a glance at the Third Child before adding, "And make sure you bring Shinji to the meeting as well! He deserves to hear this as well!"

"What?! Sid, what are you -?!" Maya started, only to cut herself off when the AI girl darted out of the room. Leaving the Lieutenant to look at Shinji, who looked back with eyes as blank as hers.

"Uh..." Shinji hesitated, trying to figure out what to say in the face of this. "Well...she looks...happier, at least."

Nodding to this, Maya then asked, "Do you have any idea _why?"_

"Uh...no..." Shinji slowly admitted. "You?"

"No idea," Maya confirmed.

Glad that he was not the only one left in the dark, Shinji asked, "So...what do we do now?"

Sighing as she glanced at the door Sid had disappeared through, Maya shrugged and replied, "What she asked, I guess."

Watching as Maya set about making Sid's demands reality, Shinji again looked at the door. The words he had spoken had been so poorly chosen that he could scarcely wrap his mind around it. And yet, he had still managed to cheer her, the result far beyond his wildest expectations.

_'I'll never understand women. Organic or cybernetic,'_ Shinji decided, issuing a heavy sigh. Hoping that this made more sense at the meeting than it did just then.

x

As War Machine stood in the center of the shattered ruins that had once been an Air Force base, he paid no heed to the burning remnants of the many jet fighters that littered the airfield. Did not care about the base proper and the other buildings, which he had reduced to smoldering ruins. He hardly noticed the men and women laying about the field, some groaning in pain, all of them broken and bloodied.

All he cared about the words that finally shown on his HUD. The words that had brought his rampage of destruction to a halt.

**Download: Complete.**

He had the information he needed. The data that would soon lead him to Mana's killers.

To his next targets.

Just the thought of it made War Machine's heart pound with eagerness. He had forced himself to hold back in this battle. The people here weren't necessarily the ones that had killed Mana, the people that deserved to die. The hatred that so desperately wanted release was still burning within him, awaiting the moment when it could be unleashed upon them.

_'Just you wait, Mana! It won't be long now!'_ War Machine thought furiously. _'Computer; cross-reference the time that Mana was shot down with the flight data from every listed airfield!'_

A moment passed as his armor's computer worked, then subsequently beeped loudly.

**Unable to Comply; Data Corruption Detected.**

As these words flashed before his eyes, War Machine studied them for a moment before the rage that burned in him erupted. _"NOOOOOOO!"_ he howled, raising his fists to the heavens before bringing them smashing down upon the tarmac.

He had blown it. The Scrambler Missile he had used to thwart the people here had done its work too well. It had not only disrupted the radar and much of the equipment there. It had also disrupted the computer records kept there on base.

War Machine had destroyed the very information he had needed to track down Mana's killers. And that knowledge sent his rage spiraling out of control, causing him to lash out in madness. Respulsor blasts sprayed forth from his hands, causing further destruction. He lashed out mindlessly, smashing anything and everything within reach, his body nothing more than a puppet to his own uncontrollable rage. And that rage made him lash out again and again until his adrenaline had been expended and his strength had faded, leaving him just a boy in a metal suit as he collapsed to the ground, staring impotently at his own fists.

"I...I can't believe this..." War Machine whispered helplessly, tears of helplessness rolling down his cheeks. "I...this can't be the end..." Sniffing loudly, the boy inside the armor looked at the window still framing the devastating information. "Computer...can't you...do something? Anything?"

A beat passed before the computer's response was seen.

**Request for Data Reconstruction?**

Blinking a few times, War Machine gulped before asking, "So...you can...repair the corrupted data? So you can read it?"

**Probability of Successful Reconstruction: 98.223%**

As these words filled War Machine's mind, he sagged with utmost relief. He hadn't squandered his only chance at revenge. There was still a chance of tracking down Mana's killers. "Then...do it," he breathed heavily. "Go ahead and do the...the reconstruction thing."

**Reconstruction Commencing. Estimated Time of Completion: Three Hours and Fifty-Seven Minutes.**

This revelation immediately banished War Machine's initial relief, and stoked the fires of his fury. "Four _hours?!_ Are you kidding me?! Can't you do it any _faster?!"_

**Negative.**

War Machine wanted to bash the stupid computer good for that. He simply didn't have time to waste waiting around for it to finish tracking Mana's killers. Despite his efforts to keep the people on this base from contacting the outside, he wasn't foolish enough to believe that his actions and presence would remain a secret for very long. Even if he were willing to kill every man, woman, and child on this base, there were satellites in space that could very easily be recording his every move. And if the people here had managed to get off any kind of communication before his Scrambler Missile had struck, then further military forces could well be on their way that very moment.

But he didn't. He couldn't risk doing something to damage the very machine that he was depending upon to track down the murderous bastards that were even now chopping Mana up and sending her home, piece by piece. _'Besides, it's like Ken said; Percussive Maintenance doesn't work too well with computers. Which means that I have to get out of here; find some place to hunker down, wait until the computer finishes doing its job,'_ War Machine thought slowly. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he forced himself to his feet, and looked down at himself. _'And it looks like that's not the only problem I've got to deal with..."_

In the heat of the battle, the boy within the War Machine armor had not realized that he had not come out this engagement unscathed. Bullet impacts, grenades, missile hits and his own outrage had taken its toll. And even though the armored exterior had born up under it well, he had also depleted his own ammunition in the process of this invasion.

_'This was a search-and-rescue mission, not an invasion. I don't have enough firepower left to go after Gendo and his bastards,'_ War Machine realized with considerable reluctance. But then he looked at the datastream that signified the In-flight Refit Vehicle with Interactive Neuromimetic Gear that Sid had created was still under his command. _'At least...not yet...'_

War Machine studied the datastream with considerable interest, recalling what Sid had told him about it. That it was not only capable of making repairs to his armor and administering first aid, but it was also capable of taking any technology he found, and integrating it with his armor.

_'It can even build a new armor...and seeing as I just happen to be surrounded by all kinds of military hardware...!'_ War Machine thought, a sadistic smile appearing beneath his faceplate.

He couldn't stay there, that much was obvious. He had no idea how long he had until additional military forces arrived. But there was surely enough time for him to abscond with at least some intact equipment. After all, a few missiles and so on had to have survived his assault intact.

_'I'll give the hangers a quick onceover, see if I can find anything,'_ War Machine decided, launching himself towards said hangers. Already summoning IRVING to join him. _'And with any luck, I'll have a few new toys to play with before I leave!'_

x

"It's legitimate," Sid announced as she looked at the gather NERV staff. "Our analyses have confirmed that the armor fragment we received _is _from the Strike armor."

As Misato looked at the AI girl, she couldn't help but feel a gaping hole open in the pit of her stomach. She had known that this was likely the case, but that didn't make it any easier for her to deal with. Knowing full well that Mana, a child, was now dead.

_'And I sent her out. I gave her the plane she used to go to her death...'_ Misato couldn't help but think. The knowledge that, when you came right down to it, there was no real way she could have stopped Mana if the armor user had wanted to go. She could have used her own armor, much like Touji had done, or simply built whatever she had needed.

This still did nothing to soothe the guilt she now felt. Or tame the nightmarish sensations Misato experienced in her nightmares. Nightmares that resulted from it being her job to send children to risk their lives in battle.

Pausing to glance about the room, Misato studied the people there. Ritsuko looked as cool and calm as she always did in such situations, while Maya and Shinji looked somewhat uncertain. Fuyutsuki's expression was as placid as only the old professor knew how to be.

The face that Misato found hardest to meet was Tai's. The cybernetic clone of Commander Ikari still bore many of the signs of the emotional breakdown he had suffered earlier, but at the same time, he displayed no current signs of emotion. He looked to be as cold and cruel as the man whose DNA his body had been forged from, right down to the telltale 'Gendo pose' he had assumed.

"Now, the arm _could_ have been faked; the fact that I even exist is proof of that," Sid went on, cool and collected. "But there are only a handful of people on the planet who would have the know-how to fake the armor components. And even then, it would be pretty tough to pull that off without the original blueprints, which only I and Mana have."

Which settled it, Misato knew. If the arm and armor fragment were both real, then there was no getting around what they added up to. And so, with a heavy sigh, she looked at the two living AIs and told them, "Sid, Tai, I...I truly am -"

"While I appreciate the sentiment, Misato, I think we already knew...what this all means." This said, Tai fixed Sid with a glare and asked, "Which leaves just one question; who sent the package, and where are they now?"

"I'm afraid I haven't figured that part out yet. But I _have _come up with something else. Something important!" Looking from one face to the next, Sid smiled joyously before saying, "I think that there's a good chance that Mana's still alive!"

This was not what Misato expected the AI girl to say, and as she looked about the room, it was obvious that the others there were equally confused. "Sid...I know how hard this must be for you," Ritsuko slowly began in a compassionate voice, one not often heard from the doctor. "But...you have to face facts! You -!"

"I _am _facing facts, Dr. Akagi!" Sid sharply countered in a determined voice. "But unlike you and everyone else here, I'm not just thinking of the numbers and statistics! I'm also thinking of the human factor!"

This got Misato's attention. "What do you mean by that?"

"Something Shinji said before got me to thinking; why did Gendo - assuming it _was _Gendo - send us Mana's arm?" Sid explained in a careful manner. "If she was dead, why not send us her head or something else?" Then she smiled dangerously and added, "And it's like Shinji said then; that maybe he didn't send us her head because he didn't have it!"

A look of surprised comprehension appeared on Shinji's face even as Misato processed this possibility. "That doesn't necessarily mean Mana's alive, Sid," Ritsuko commented in a solemn fashion. "It's possible that whoever attacked her simply failed to recover her head."

"It's equally possible that the head and helmet were destroyed in the arc explosion," Fuyutsuki suggested.

"No. No way," Sid replied with a quick shake of her head. "An arc explosion doesn't work that way. Her reactor would have fried her armor good and done some serious damage, but it wouldn't have been able to destroy any section of her armor completely. And believe me, I did an exhaustive analysis on the condition of the gauntlet to see how much force it would have had; everything indicates that, if that gauntlet and arm survived the explosion, then the helmet and head would have, too." Then she looked at Ritsuko, and added, "And as for not finding her head, if whoever pulled this stunt went to all the trouble of tracking down her arm, then there's no reason to assume that they would have left any stone unturned searching for the rest of her, even if it was just Mana's head. Especially if they were planning on playing this kind of game with us."

With a thoughtful frown, Misato considered this theory before replying, "Even if you're right about this, Sid, and Mana somehow survived the blast _and _the fall afterwards, then what? There's no way she would have been in any condition to escape her attackers, in which case she would have been captured."

"And since we haven't heard anything about a foreign girl being captured in America, then all we can assume is that Gendo or whoever else is behind this is the one who captured her," Ritsuko seconded grimly. "In which case, she's as good as dead."

"No way. If Mana was captured, then why would the people who captured her just send us the arm?" Sid persisted. "Why not show us a video of her being tortured, or wait until she was no longer of any use to us before...well, you know."

As Misato again considered this, Tai looked at her perplexedly and said, "But...Sid, that doesn't make sense. If Mana's not dead, then she must've been captured. There aren't any other real possibilities."

Grateful for the slight cracking in Tai's Gendo-behavior, Misato then focused on Sid grinning in a knowing manner. "Wrong. There _is _one other possibility." As everyone there, Misato included, leaned in and waited, the AI girl went on to say, "That she was rescued by the person she was looking for. By Tony Stark."

Now everyone there was well and truly confused, with Misato feeling the most confused of all. "Tony Stark...?" she started, even as the name started rattling about in her mind. "Wait a second...that name sounds familiar for some reason..."

"It should, though I'm not surprised you don't remember," Ritsuko announced. "Tony Stark is considered to be the father of modern cybernetics, robotics, and computers. He's the first to have developed AIs that were actually capable of a kind of independent thought. That could act almost like a human being."

"He's also considered to be a traitor to the entire world. Thanks in no small part to SEELE's efforts," Fuyutsuki chimed in. "Shortly after Second Impact, the Instrumentality Committee demanded that his company, Stark Industries, surrender all its technological assets, ostensibly for the purpose of helping repair the damage caused by Second Impact." Giving a slow shake of his head, the old professor added, "He refused, and after completely destroying the Stark database, seemingly disappeared off the face of the Earth."

Nodding, Misato found that these words caused further memories to come to the surface. "Of course, if Keel wanted his technology so badly, I'm betting that it wasn't for the sake of the world."

"Correct," Fuyutsuki quickly confirmed. "Stark had also developed a cybernetic weapons system of extraordinary strength and firepower, equipped with a miniaturized, self-contained power source that allowed it complete mobility." The old professor gave a weary smile before adding, "And the name of that weapon...was Iron Man."

Starting at this, Misato looked from Fuyutsuki to Ritsuko and back again. "Iron _Man?!"_ she repeated incredulously. "As in like Iron _Maiden?!"_

"Misato, you didn't think that Mana was the first one to wear armor like that did you?" Ritsuko asked in depreciating tone. "I guess most people don't remember it any more, what with everything that's been happening, but before second impact, there was another who wore armor like Mana's. He went by the name Iron Man, and he was backed by Stark Industries."

"So even then, SEELE and probably Gendo himself were after this technology?" Misato demanded.

"Don't act so surprised, Misato. The applications of this level of science to something like the Evas are virtually without limit," Ritsuko explained. "A properly scaled up arc reactor would be capable of powering an Eva continuously for 200 days. And with the interface and artificial intelligence systems Stark had developed, the Dummy Plug System would have long since been perfected. Allowing for the Evas to perfectly autonomous and self-sufficient."

"The perfect weapons to insure SEELE's twisted vision of the future became a reality," Fuyutsuki seconded. "Which is possibly why Stark went to such extreme measures to keep it from them."

"So...does that mean that Stark..._knew_ about SEELE...and what they were up to?" Shinji wondered.

"At the very least, it's safe to assume that he figured that the Committee wasn't on the level," Ritsuko replied.

Frowning somewhat, the Third Child looked about the others there. "But then...how does Mana and her father...how did he get the arc reactor, and - and all the rest of it?"

"Dr. Kirishima used to work for Stark Industries, Shinji," Sid explained. "All of his research, even my own designs and the armor, were based off the original Stark technologies."

"So...that's why Mana left, right? To track down Tony Stark?" Tai gathered, slowly perking up. But then he frowned and asked, "But...what makes you think that he could have rescued Mana? We have no idea where he is, or if he's even _alive!"_

"That's simple. Before Mana left, she reminded me that we didn't make the arc reactor in mine or the War Machine armors," Sid explained. "I didn't think of it at the time, but...well, the person who helped me out, he didn't have the resources to make the reactors, either."

"Which means that...somebody else must've made and given him those reactors," Misato intuited. "Somebody who's been keeping a close enough eye on Mana to know that she was in trouble."

"And if we're right, and Stark is the one doing all of this behind the scenes, then there's a good chance that he found out about Mana getting attacked," Sid replied enthusiastically. "And if that's the case, if he had the resources to crank out those arc reactors, I'd bet anything that he had the resources to rescue Mana!" Looking about at the others, the AI girl went on to add, "She was hurt, badly, of that there can't be any doubt at all… but I really do believe that she's still alive!"

"That's pretty optimistic." Ritsuko remarked dryly. "Still...I have to admit you're right. The facts as they are do add up."

"Then...she might really be alive?!" Tai exclaimed with a look of wonder. "Th-that's amazing! It's a _miracle! _It's - ohhhh..."

Misato didn't like the way Tai's voice suddenly shifted from mounting excitement to a despondent groan. And she really didn't like the way he suddenly looked like a little boy that had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. And it was obvious that Ritsuko shared these feelings when she asked, "Tai? What is it? What's wrong?"

Shrinking away from Ritsuko with a look of shame, Tai gulped before explained, "Uh...I...think made a very large mistake, Ritsy."

"What kind of mistake?" Sid wondered uncertainly.

"Well...after we got the...the arm...I did the math," Tai hesitantly explained. "And I calculated that, based on the information we had, that there was a 95.2% chance that she was dead. And if she wasn't, then she'd been captured."

"So...what? What did you -?" Realization hit Misato before she could finish her statement, leaving her to look at the AI and shoot him a glare that could have melted battleship armor. "Are you saying...that you told Touji...about the arm? That you thought that she was...?"

"Eh...yeah. I'm...afraid I did," Tai replied with a trace of humiliation.

At this revelation, all of the relief and hope Misato had been experiencing at Sid's revelations immediately went flying out the nearest window. "I don't believe - well maybe I should, considering whose clone you are!" the Major spat disgustedly as she took in the all-too familiar features, all the while ignore the shame Tai wore. "You mean to tell me you went behind our backs and told Touji about this before Ritsuko and Sid had finished studying those things?!"

Tai was visibly stung by this, as was everyone else there. All of them, Shinji and Maya, Ritsuko and Fuyutsuki, they looked at Gendo's cybernetic clone with a mix of horror and despair. Until at last the Third Child shook his head slowly and softly asked, "How...how could you do this...Touji, he's...he's my friend! How could you...?!"

"Shinji, please, not now!" Misato broke in, shooting her ward a look before focusing on Tai, thinking of all the things she wanted to say to him. Things that she knew she couldn't say, simply because, in her own way, she was every bit as guilty of using the children to sate her own hate and desire for revenge as he was. "I'll be dealing with you later, Tai. Right now, we have to contact War Machine! Tell him that -!"

"You can't," Tai broke in, his voice a hollow shadow of itself.

Starting at this, Misato could only look at Tai as Sid declared, "What do you mean, Tai?! We have to tell War Machine about this."

"You can't," Tai repeated, using the same empty voice. "When I contacted him earlier, I instructed him to observe a complete communications blackout."

If Misato thought she was past being horrified by Tai's actions, then this statement would have immediately proven her wrong. "You...you had Touji _cut himself off from us?!"_

"Why'd you do something like that?!" Maya demanded in a horrified voice. "How can we support Touji from here if he's going to ignore us every time we try to contact him?!"

Misato was sorely tempted to ask this same question. But even as Maya asked it for her, the Major realized the answer. A blackout not only cut Touji off from them, it cut them off from him. It made sure that they couldn't order him to return if they felt the risk was too great. They couldn't persuade him to abandon revenge to come home to those that were still alive. It kept Touji and his War Machine armor right where it could do the most damage to Mana's killers.

Heaving a deep breath, Misato glared at Tai for a moment before marching over to his side and saying, "Permission to speak freely, sir."

Shaking his head miserably, Tai hesitated before replying, "I know I'm going to regret this, but...go right ahead."

Nodding to this, Misato then drew back her fist. The only warning Tai had before the sound of the purple-haired woman's fist connecting with his jaw broke the silence. As the AI came crashing down to the floor, Misato turned and glared at the others present. "Ritsuko, you stay here and keep an eye on Tai. Try and keep him from doing something else stupid. The rest of us are going to try and contact Touji! And hope like hell we can him down before he causes an international incident!"

x

"You know, I don't know what's more pathetic," Mana muttered as she stiffly made her way away from Stark's training room. "The fact that I'm this sweaty and sore after that little training session, or the fact that you barely _broke _a sweat!"

Giving her a rueful smile, Stark shrugged and answered, "Well, I've been doing this for a while. It's not like I can go out and hit the party circuit the way I did in the old days." Then his smile slipped somewhat before he added, "Besides, the fact is I've been training for what's to come for a long time now. I didn't know when things would start happening, so..." Nodding to this, Mana sighed as her impromptu sensei went on to say, "Anyway, if you think you're sore _now,_ just wait until we _really _get to work!"

Her eyes bulging with horror at this, Mana groaned heavily before saying, "Ugh...I'd ask if you were kidding, but I got this bad feeling that you're not."

"You're right; I'm not," Stark assured her, all business. "I'm sorry, Mana, but if you're going to be in on this fight, then we have to get you into top fighting trim. You've been going about this like an amateur, and it damn near got yourself killed."

Despite the truth to this statement, Mana was still stung by it. "Well, I'm sorry, but it's not like I expected to be doing this. I was just an ordinary girl when everything went to hell on me," she snapped back, not bothering to disguise her irritation. "It's not like I've had the backing of a multi-million dollar corporation. I've been working with what little I have, what little my dad left me, just doing what I had to do to survive."

"You don't have to tell me that, Mana. And it's like I've said before; I am sorry about everything you've been through. But the fact is that doing things the way you have been doing them isn't going to cut it, and you know it." Then Stark gave her a sympathetic smile. "Besides, you're not on your own anymore. You've got NERV, and from you've told me, there are quite a few of them who are aware of what SEELE's up to and want to poke a few holes in their plans. And you've got me now, of course."

"Of course," Mana repeated, uncertain as to what else she could say. There was still so much that was hard for her to deal with. So much that had happened too fast for her to keep up.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Stark sighed and slouched slightly. "So...how's the arm?"

Pressing her lips together, Mana raised her right arm and made a fist. "Feels as good as the real thing, but I still feel a little off balance when I walk," she admitted, opening and closing her fingers. "It feels like my center of gravity isn't where it's supposed to be."

"That'll pass soon enough," Stark reassured her. "Your legs are a little…different from the original, obviously."

"To be honest, I've been trying _not _to think about that," Mana replied to the tune of the rolling of her eyes. "Blowing myself apart is not one of the highlights of my career."

"Just think of it an exciting story to tell your grandkids," Stark quipped with look more like the devil-may-care expressions he was more known for. "Anyway, first let's take some time for something to eat, and then we can get to work on some new armors for the both of us."

At the mention of armor, Mana forgot all about her soreness and smiled broadly. "Really?"

"Why not?" Stark smirked. "Jarvis already has your measurements, and after fifteen years of development and research on my part, I think we can come up with something interesting, don't you agree?"

"Yeah, I'd say so," Mana grinned, already wondering what her next suit would be capable of. "Mind if I help out?"

"Mind? Mana, I would be delighted!" Stark responded. "No offense to Jarvis, but it's been a long time since I've been able to work with a flesh-and-blood person _in _person, and -"

"Excuse me, Mr. Stark," Jarvis suddenly broke in, prompting the two armor users to pause, "but I have message incoming for you. From Mr. Rhodes."

"Rhodey?" Stark started, his voice a mix of surprise and delight. "That's strange; I wasn't expecting to hear from him again. Not this soon, anyway."

"Rhodey?" Mana repeated.

"Jarvis, put him on in the dining room as soon as we get there," Stark ordered as he started forward again. "And put out some sandwiches and a couple protein drinks while you're at it."

"Very good, sir," Jarvis answered.

"Wait a minute..." Mana began as she started after her host. "Who's Rhodey?"

"Remember that close friend of mine that I mentioned before? You know, the one that brought you here?" When Mana made an affirmative noise, Stark smiled and answered, "There you go."

"Oh," Mana replied, unsure of what else to say. "Then I guess I should thank him for getting me here so you can put me back together again."

"Well, that would be nice," Stark concurred as they arrived in the dining room. Unsurprisingly, their repast was already waiting for them at the table. "Still, whatever he's calling about must be pretty important." Taking note of the way Mana's furrowed her brows, the older man went on to explain, "One of the big rules I've laid down with myself and my...allies...is that I'm to be contacted only in an emergency. When you live in a world when every government on Earth and the biggest spy organization of all times wants your hide, loose lips can quite literally sink ships."

Mana made a face at this, now realizing more than ever just how alone Stark must have been all these years. Having to isolate himself from the world, both to keep himself safe, as well as protect those who might be damaged by being affiliated with him. With this thought weighing her down, she sat down at the table, watching as her host lounged back in his own seat and said, "Okay, Jarvis, put him through."

"Very good, sir," Jarvis answered, and a beat later, a holographic display like those used at NERV appeared before them. It displayed an African-American man of about Stark's age, though he didn't look nearly as bedraggled. His hair was trimmed in a military fashion, something reinforced by his Air Force uniform.

"Rhodey! I didn't expect to being hearing from you again so soon!" Stark began, taking a sip of his protein drink. "Not after the last present you gave me."

_"To be honest, I wasn't expecting to, either,"_ Rhodey replied in a weary fashion. Glancing over at Mana, he quirked a tiny smile and added, _"Speaking of which...glad to see you up and around, Ms. Kirishima. You're looking a lot better."_

"Yeah, well, from what I understand, just about anything would have been an improvement," Mana ruefully commented. "By the way, thanks for...well, you know."

Nodding, Rhodey simply replied, "No problem, ma'am." Then he heaved a deep breath and went on to say, "Tony, I'm sorry to say this, but it looks like we've got a situation here."

"Well, I didn't think you called for dating tips," Stark commented with a slight smirk.

"Yeah, right. The day I ask you for tips on women is the day I stick my head into a blender," Rhodey commented. "Anyway, about hour ago, Harper Air Force Base tried to contact another base, but the communication was suddenly cut off. When people were sent to investigate, they found the entire base flattened. Everything that could be blown up was, their computers were scrambled...you name it. There's pretty much nothing left of the place."

"Really?" Stark replied, his eyes narrowed in consideration. "What about the people there? Were there many...?"

_"That's where we got lucky. Nobody's dead, but a lot of people will be heading for the hospital for a good, long while."_ Then Rhodey narrowed his eyes intently at Mana. _"However, eyewitnesses said that their attacker was someone in a suit of armor like ours. He called himself War Machine...and just for the record, it wasn't me."_

As Mana sucked in a gasp, Stark muttered, "Uh-oh..."

_"Exactly,"_ Rhodey nodded grimly. _"So I was wondering if maybe your...guest might know who we're dealing with."_

"Ohmygosh...i-it's _Touji..._!" Mana gasped, barely able to believe what she was experiencing. "He...he must've come looking for me! He -!" Her heart pounding that much faster, she then cut herself off as the other part of Rhodey's report registered. "But...wait. Why would he attack an Air Force base?"

"Maybe it has something to do with them shooting you down," Stark commented.

_"You might be more right than you know,"_ Rhodey confirmed. _"Remember what I told you about when we found Mana? And that we swept the area, but we were never able to find...well, those last few pieces?"_

"You mean her arm and that gauntlet? Yeah, I remember," Stark confirmed. "Why? Have they turned up?"

_"They might have, but not here."_ Giving this a moment to sink in, Rhodey leaned in closer to the screen. _"Our friends in Japan reported that an...unusual package was delivered to NERV. They don't know what was in it, but...well, from what they could tell, it _was _large enough that the...missing items might have been inside."_

"Wha- somebody sent my _arm _to NERV?! But then -?!" Then Mana realized what this meant, and cut herself off with a gasp of pure horror. "Oh, _no..._you mean that...they must think I'm _dead!"_

"Which would explain your friend's little rampage." Returning his focus to Rhodey, Stark then asked, "What about the people that shot Mana down? Are they from Harper?"

_"Nope, which might explain why they're all still breathing,"_ Rhodey reported. _"But Tony, this guy, Touji?If his armor is anything like ours, then there's no reason to believe that he couldn't hack the computers -"_

"- and find out who _did_ do it," Stark nodded unhappily.

Feeling the eyes of both men falling on her, Mana squirmed somewhat in her seat before admitting, "I...Sid designed Touji's armor more for combat than anything else, but...well, it did have all the basic hardware. Including computer interface."

"So there's no reason to assume that War Machine 2.0 wasn't able to track down the guilty party," Stark reasoned. "And on that note...any chance you might know who that might be?"

_"I haven't been able to dig up who gave the actual orders,"_ Rhodey informed them with a shake of his head. _"But I _did _learn where Mana's attackers came from; Edwards Air Force Base."_

"Then...he must be on his way there! Right now!" Mana gasped in horror. "Stark, we have to get there _right now!"_

"Oh? And in what armor?" Stark wondered. As Mana was stuck trying to field that question, he then focused his attention on his friend. "Besides, if you friend was picking a fight with Edwards Air Force Base, I'm sure Rhodey would have mentioned that little fact."

_"That's right, I would've,"_ Rhodey confirmed. _"But don't celebrate just yet; according to the reports, all the jets and other equipment on the base have been accounted for, except one; a CV-22 Osprey."_

It took a moment for Mana to realize what Rhodey meant, at which point she gasped, "You're saying that...Touji _stole it?!"_

_"There's no sign of any wreckage from it, and believe me, we _would _have found wreckage if he had blown it up,"_ Rhodey confirmed. _"It also looks like he made off with some additional ammunition. Missiles, grenades, you name it, as well as some oil."_

"One teenage kid made off with all of that?" Stark demanded with a raised eyebrow. "And I'm guessing you have no clue where he is now?"

_"Not a clue,"_ Rhodey admitted. _"We had no eyes on that area, and we've picked up nothing on radar."_

"Wow. Looks like military intelligence is more of an oxymoron than ever," Stark sniped. "Remind me; why _did _lock myself in this bunker for a decade and half again?"

Clearly not amused by Stark's wiseass comments, Rhodey responded with, _"Personally, I'd like to know what this kid intends to do with a load of military equipment and five barrels of oil."_

"Five _barrels?!"_ Mana repeated, bringing her hand to her face. "Oh, no...Touji must be planning on building a nanotech bath!"

Looking over at Mana, Rhodey made a face of patent disgust. "Great. Someone else who speaks geek. I'd have an easier time with straight Japanese!"

Shaking her head in dismay, Mana recovered enough to explain, "We...my father developed a way of reconstructing raw materials by using nanites with oil as a medium for them." Swallowing nervously, she added, "Touji...he-he must have something with him. Some equipment to make a bath...he's planning on rebuilding the stuff he stole into something else!"

His expression souring that much more, Rhodey replied, _"And I'm guessing that that something will be big, mean, and loaded with all kinds of guns."_

"In other words, he's hunkering down to plan his next move...and to bring a whole lot of pain to Edwards," Stark solemnly agreed.

_"So how long do we have until he makes his move?"_ Rhodey demanded.

"Well, that depends. Mainly on how big this thing he's working is going to be," Stark admitted. "I'm familiar with the basics of this nanotech bath Mana mentioned..."

_"Of course you are,"_ Rhodey muttered.

"And while it's an easy way of building stuff without too much in the way of big equipment, it does take a bit of time," Stark went on despite his friend's remark. "If he's whipping up something big - and from what you've told me, he is - it's gonna take him at least twenty-four hours to finish putting together. Longer if he's relying on just his armor for this."

"He won't be." As both men focused on her, Mana sighed heavily before adding, "Touji might not be a scientist or engineer, but he's not stupid. He wouldn't try something like this without the right equipment."

Pausing to study her, Stark raised an eyebrow before saying, "Alright. Let's assume that we have until tomorrow before Touji makes his move. You do whatever you can to track him down, but Rhodey -"

_"I know, we'll have to make sure that SHIELD doesn't track him down, either,"_ Rhodey nodded somberly. _"I'll see about covering for the kid...and hope he doesn't do anything too stupid for now."_

"Just be sure you let me know as soon as something goes down," Stark instructed. "In the meantime, I'll be working with Mana on some new gear for the both of us."

_"You got it. Take care, Tone. You, too, Mana,"_ Rhodey replied, giving a polite bow of his head before the holographic display vanished.

Her insides knotting up, Mana looked imploringly at her benefactor. "Tony, we can't wait. We have to go find Touji right away!"

"I'm sorry, Mana, that's not an option." As the auburn-haired girl opened her mouth to protest this decision, Stark looked her in the eyes, his expression worn and solemn. "Look, I know how you feel. I've _been _where you are right now more times than I want to remember, and every single time, I wanted nothing more than to rush right out the door and save the day _and _my friends!" Then he made a face before adding, "I've also lost count of the number of times pulling that kind of stunt has come back to bite me in the ass!"

"But - we can't just sit around here!" Mana countered.

"And we're not," Stark assured her. "The first thing we're going to do is eat up, and then we're going to get to work on those new armors we were talking about. Because I guarantee you that we're going to need them."

"I know that, but...can't you go out and look for Touji?" Mana tried again. "You must have one or two armors around here right now!"

"That's right. And more than just one or two," Stark confirmed. "And do you know what my going outside right now to search for your friend would accomplish?" Giving her a mild scowl, he went on to say, "At best, I would probably accomplish nothing. At worst, I would make myself a great big target for Gendo, SEELE, _and _SHIELD."

"SHIELD?" Mana repeated, recalling Rhodey's earlier mentioning of that name. "Wait...that sounds familiar..."

"It should. It was ostensibly an organization to keep the peace around the world, overseen by people with way too much power and way too few scruples," Stark explained. "Their boss, Nick Fury? He's one of the guys who championed me giving up my tech. For the 'greater good', of course."

"Right, right, you mentioned him." Then Mana frowned and said, "But...I thought SHIELD was disbanded. After Second Impact..."

"Yeah, they're much happier with the world thinking that," Stark assured her. "I know it seems harsh, but right now, our best bet is to get prepared and wait to hear from Rhodey. Believe me, he has access to some of the best tracking and monitoring technology on the planet." With a grin, he added, "And I should know. I made it."

"But..." Mana tried again.

"It's like I said, Mana; we need to be ready before we make our move," Stark told her, all business. "Because I guarantee you this; right now, Nick Fury and likely all our other enemies have gotten word about this new War Machine. They've likely heard about me buddying up with a guy in a similar suit, and they're doing the math. So as soon as Touji pops up on the radar again, they're gonna make their move." Narrowing his eyes, the notorious armor user went on to say, "And if we're not at our absolute best when that time comes, then he and a lot of other people will be in danger...or worse."

X


End file.
